HELP AGAIN! ROUEN TO ST LAZARE

They're using the 24-hour clock. So 07h19 is 7:19 a.m., 16h09 is 4:09 pm, while 18h09 is 6:09 pm. For anything over 12 hours (noon) simply subtract 12 to get the number in the p.m. format.

OK - I understand. So, I had put in leave from Rouen to St. Lazare, and it only gave me three choices. It sounds to me as if we are going to have to leave at 7:19 in the morning for a 1:00 Eurostar - nothing goes later. Earlier than I wanted to go (unless we would go the night before). Thanks much.

In my post on your original thread I told you that there are 27 direct trains/day between Rouen and Paris. The respective stations are Rouen Rive-Droite and Paris Saint-Lazare. I also told you that you can get discount fares if you book well in advance (up to three months allowed) at tgv-europe.com.

The reason you only saw three departure times is that you were trying to book more than three months in advance. What you saw for 31 August on the tgv-europe site was TER (regional) trains for which no advance reservations are possible. To see complete timetables, pick a date within the next three months. To book a train for 31 August that allows reservations, you'll have to wait until 31 May.

Something's up. There shouldn't be any connections since it's a straight shot.

There are two train stations in Rouen. The one you want is sometimes called Rue Vert and sometimes Rive Droite. It's less than a mile almost straight north of the cathedral.

I have no idea where you'd go if you used the other one -- it probably routes you through Moscow or something.

Here's your problem, Sharon. After about nine am the trains going south get real infrequent as I recall. You need to catch maybe an eight o'clock train, but check the schedules to be sure since some take fifteen or twenty minutes longer than others. Figure the worst-case travel time is an hour and a half. That puts you in Paris at nine-thirty and then you have to find the RER line, hike to it, hike again at Paris Nord, then find the Eurostar.

Unless you're trying to get a discount, just show up and buy a ticket when you get there -- there's always room. If you screw up and miss what you bought the ticket for ahead of time, it's dead and you have to start all over. The difference isn't that much.

You'll have to do a little tunnel-walking around the two Paris train stations, but the RER E line is a non-stop deal between the two that only takes ten minutes or so. Figure ten minutes of walking at each end since you won't know exactly where you're going and will have to pause to stare at signs, diagrams, etc. Thirty minutes portal to portal should do it.

Sorry, Tim, you had to tell me this twice. I got my trip papers out today and just plowed forward - forgot what you said until you reminded me. Thanks.

I think this is a perfect illustration of how Rail Europe can trap the unwary, not just with higher prices but also with inferior information masquerading as the whole story.