I thought I'd share our experience with the TGV from Lyon to Charles de Gaulle airport and with the Captain Train (now Trainline.eu) ticket service. We purchased our tickets on Captain Train several months in advance, and were "assigned" seats in car 1. At the station in Lyon, there was extreme confusion when the track number was finally posted only 5 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. In a mad rush with literally hundreds of other passengers, we found ourselves on the platform with only 2 minutes to spare, and dozens of travelers still milling about. Somewhat desperately, we boarded the train on the car we assumed must be car 1, only to find that we were on car 11! We carefully started making our way through individual cars, and three cars later I finally asked a conductor about car 1. She informed us that car 1 did not stop at Charles de Gaulle (the train would eventually separate, with different destinations), and that we had to return to the first class car in the front of the train and just find a seat there. Luckily, we did find seats on the first car (car 11), and arrived at Charles de Gaulle without further incident, but it was disconcerting to realize that the Captain Train website had assigned us to a car that was going to a different location. If there had been more time to study the display on the departure platform, maybe we would have figured things out (being new to this), but we felt we had to board quickly before the train left. I am not sure how things might have worked out better, and wanted to share my experience to perhaps aid other travelers new to French TGV trains.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
It's good that you asked! I ran into a similar problem boarding a train from London to Portsmouth. Notices indicated the numbers of coaches to board for Portsmouth, but a large bunch of us couldn't figure out how the coaches were numbered. I was part of a herd of travelers stampeding up and down the platform after the train arrived. Finally someone with authority answered the question and we boarded, arriving safely in Portsmouth.......there was a need to de-board and board a different train when we were near our destination. It seems our train couldn't roll all the way into the station because of congestion or something. Sometimes you just have to hang loose, follow the crowd, ask questions, and hope for the best. Whew! Sometimes traveling is challenging and a lot of work! And I'm all out of cliches.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
I've been riding SNCF trains for 40 years and that is still one of my little anxieties, that I might be in the wrong car and end up in xyz after the train separates. I check and double-check, as does my native-French speaking husband. Glad you ended up in the right place and sent out this good warning.
Posted by
Seattle
287 posts
I'd better arrive extra early at the Gare de Lyon on Sunday morning with my Captain Train ticket to Barcelona!
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Debbie,
I thought the same as you, and arrived at the station an hour before the scheduled departure time. Things unraveled because the track number for our train was not posted until five minutes prior to departure. That left virtually no time to double check car numbers, destinations, etc.----we had to just board. Hopefully you will have a better experience----bon voyage!!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33832 posts
At Gare de Lyon the section of the station will be posted quite a long time - at least half an hour before departure - although the actual platform won't be posted until later. They do that because there are two separate groups of platforms so you need to be in the right place - either the letters of the alphabet or the numbers.
I've never missed a train at Gare de Lyon yet.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
I've been riding SNCF trains for 40 years and that is still one of my little anxieties, that I might be in the wrong car and end up in xyz after the train separates.
I had a bad experience almost 40 years ago, in Italy, with a split train. I knew about splitting trains, but I didn't think mine was one of those (or maybe I thought I was in the right section). I was heading from Florence to Genoa, and at one point I started paying attention to the stations we passed, and couldn't find them on my map). I then looked at a map of the train lines posted in the train, and I realized I was heading towards the bottom of Italy, ultimate stop Siracusa in Sicily. I rushed off the train at the next stop, and fortunately it was a stop where several trains headed to Genoa stopped. So it worked out OK, just many hours late, and my cousin and her husband were still awake waiting to pick me up.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
Nigel's advice is sound, as always. That's how it worked for me a month ago, taking the fast train to Barcelona. That train departed from the terminal towards the back of the complex, B or C as I recall, posted on the departure board well in advance. With many others I clustered under that space's main board (very little seating anyhow.) Once the gate number was posted we all rushed to the platform. Nearest car to the gate was No. One; I was in Seventeen and concerned about the walk. But the train is double deck and so there was a huge crowd to board and lots of time both to find the car and find a place for my bag in the limited storage. Nice train; nice ride.
A separate thought: In Gare de Lyon's terminal for the regional trains a few years ago I was nearly the victim of a snatch-and-grab robbery as I sat in the train awaiting departure. It was one of those "petitions" shoved in my face as distraction. It can happen anywhere in Paris but there is enough turmoil in these big stations to muddle the traveller's attention. Luckily I reacted fast enough to send the thieves scampering.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
Stop me if you've heard this before...
Was in Avignon for a train to Lyon. After asking three times to confirm the track , we boarded our train that said "Lyon" on the side. After we left the station and someone was in "our" seats we figured out they switched the tracks and the train we were on was headed to Gare de Lyon which is the name of the station in Paris. Sort of like wanting to go to Pennsylvania but winding up at Penn station.
Sort of screwed up the day's itinerary.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Of course it's not foolproof, but cars "usually" have a placard at the door indicating the ultimate destination. It's good practice to check it.