Train from Nice to Avignon on a Saturday

I’m looking at Saturday, April 9, on www.SNCF.com

7:52 - 11:13. That’s 3.5 hours.
9:52 - 13:13. That’s 3.5 hours.

I’m not listing the longer 4-hour+ trip options. It looks like a train is leaving approximately each hour.

I should have included our date. April 23

Which Saturday in April?

I checked April 9 and found six departures from 11:53 AM to 5:23 PM, taking between 3 hr. 50 min. and 4 hr. 20 min. I guess things might be different around Easter or the May 1 holiday (which falls on Sunday this year). I'm getting nothing at all for April 16 or 23 (not even rail-replacement buses), so something may be going on. Maybe they're working on the TGV lines on those weekends.

Where are you checking for trains? You should use the SNCF website:

https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/

That said, SNCF isn't even showing any regional-train (TER) routings, so there may be a setting on that website I'm overlooking.

I think we need help from one of our French posters.

Looked on db bahn first then when to SNCF and checked and it had only the 7 hr. two offerings. Everything else pushed to Sunday.

I agree that it is strange. I'd at least expect to see rail-replacement buses on part or all of the route.

There is engineering work that weekend, and the previous weekend. And no, when that happens, they do not put up buses in that part of the country. The official message is:

En raison de travaux réalisés par SNCF réseau, la circulation des trains sera interrompue entre Marseille St-Charles et Aubagne et fortement limitée entre Marseille et Nice du samedi 16 à lundi 18 avril à 08h19, ainsi que du samedi 23 au dimanche 24 avril 11h30. Merci de reporter votre voyage. Une information plus détaillée vous sera prochainement communiquée sur nos canaux habituels.

Due to work carried out by the SNCF network, train traffic will be interrupted between Marseille St-Charles and Aubagne and severely limited between Marseille and Nice from Saturday April 16 to Monday April 18 at 8:19 a.m., as well as from Saturday April 23 to Sunday April 24 at 11:30 a.m. Please reschedule your trip. More detailed information will be sent to you shortly through our usual channels.

I guess that's another argument in favor of flying to Paris and leaving Provence for another trip (referring to your other thread)!

Thanks Balso. They did show a train leaving at 9:52 AM on the Sunday April 24. Now, one has to wonder if that train would be canceled or if they are selling tickets is it a go. It also shows the regional trains to Antibes, etc. is still running a Saturday schedule. Do they not use the same track? Just curious.

It's entirely unclear to me! I was supposed to go to Toulon around those dates, but dropped the ball because of this. Some local trains do seem to be running, but since local trains are unreserved, I would worry about crowding.