SNCF Quel Bordel

[Teamedup]

Good luck to all you rail travellors. This looks like a nightmare about to begin.

 

Information de l'SNCF : A partir du 1er decembre 2005, les conditions de régularisation a bord des trains a reservation obligatoire - TGV, Corail - evoluent : Ne prenez pas le risque de monter dans le trains sans la bonne reservation, car vous vous exposez a bord a des penalites dont le montant varie selon la situation : 1. Vous voyagez le meme jour : /Situation 1 /: vous prenez un train *avant l'horaire* du train initialement prevu sur le meme parcours. Vous devrez payer une somme forfaitaire de 15 a 20 EUR aupres d'un controleur ! /Situation 2/ * : vous prenez un train *apres l'horaire* du train ititialement prevu sur le meme parcours : VOTRE BILLET N'EST PLUS VALABLE. Vous devez *payer *le montant d'un *nouveau billet* majore d'une taxe supplementaire de 10 EUR aupres d'un controleur ! * Cette situation concerne tous le tarifs a lexception des Plein Tarif et Abonnes 2. Vous voyagez un autre jour : /Situation 3 :/ vouz prenez un train sur le meme parcours mais un autre jour. *Vous etes considere a bord comme sans billet. *Vous devrez payer le montant d'un nouveau billet majore d'une taxe supplementaire de 10 EUR aupres d'un controleur . En presence d'un dispositif d'accueil a embarquement toute personne non munie d'une reservation valable pourra se voir refuser l'acces au train !

[Ron Avery]

Seems liike SNCF are just bringing themselves into line with National Rail in the UK, and the rest of Europe.  You cannot get on many IC trains in the UK without a reservation and you cannot just change train times at a whim, or travel on certain trains without the right type of ticket.  If you use the wrong type of ticket like a blue saver or weekend saver on some trains, they tell you before the train starts off which tickets are not valid , you have to pay the full fare for the journey being undertaken with no allowance for the fare already paid.  Seems like at last SNCF have realised that they are there to make money and not just occupy their staff's time.  Welcome to the 21st Century[:)].

[Teamedup]

And before these new rules you couldn't 'just' travel on any train in France either with any old ticket.

My last journey up to Paris was a comedy of errors with delayed trains and a right mess. I was at the first station in good time for the first train, that was late. The next two trains I had to catch were late and the last train I caught was in no way the one I had booked to get on. Not my fault. 

I cannot help but wonder what they will do in the future when that happens.

And I have travelled on UK trains quite a bit over the last three years and have been told to catch earlier trains if I was there earlier than expected. And I would never have expected to pay for this priviledge.

[Tourangelle]

You might have a nasty shock on some virgin train lines, as that is

certainly the policy they operate on some trains and with some

fares.  Like so

many things in the UK, privatisation has made things more

complicated.  It depends on the ticket you buy, and with whom, and

the conditions you sign up for.  At least in France it is the same

rules on the train where ever you are![:)]

[Teamedup]

I have been on Virgin Trains and GNER too. I have always asked before getting on a train if we were early, but I have never had a problem yet and have travelled on UK trains in these last few years more than I ever did when I lived there before.

The other thing is that I have been encouraged to take earlier trains when I have been early.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]Seems liike SNCF are just bringing themselves

into line with National Rail in the UK, and the rest of Europe. 

You cannot get on many IC trains in the UK without a reservation and

you cannot just change train times at a whim, or travel on certain

trains without the right type of ticket.  If you use the wrong

type of ticket like a blue saver or weekend saver on some trains, they

tell you before the train starts off which tickets are not valid

, you have to pay the full fare for the journey being undertaken

with no allowance for the fare already paid.  Seems like at

last SNCF have realised that they are there to make money and not just

occupy their staff's time.  Welcome to the 21st

Century[:)].[/quote]

Are there ANY IC services one can just hop on and off of any longer?

The T&C on the back the tickets I had last time I made the

pilgrmage to the city of my birth promised penalties Up To And

Including death by a thousand cuts for infractions such as being in the

wrong seat at the wrong time (I left my book behind and had nothing to

read apart from the ticket and a leaflet for Whipsnade Zoo that some

thoughtful soul had left attached to the underside of my seat with a

blob of chewing gum), and  I was therefore under the impression

that whimsical travel had rather gone West with the demise of the

British Rail standard sandwich. Someone told me that moves are now

afoot to forbid the consumption of alcohol on trains in the UK. Can

anyone confirm the status of this piece of madness? I have to risk

travel by rail next week (reserved ticket already purchased from the

169 options available, some of which must include easy payment plans -

£200+ for a return journey lasting a total of four hours in one case)

and I was rather hoping to be able to do at least the return leg in

something of an alcoholic fug.

[Brian]

The vast majority of intercity services do allow walk up passengers to buy a ticket and travel on the next available service, although it will often be more expensive than cheaper advance purchase tickets which specify a specific time and date of travel. Pretty much like most airlines and ferry companies operate. Tonight I had to clear up after a middle aged well dressed gentleman threw up (red wine by the aroma) in the waiting room of the station where I work - I would be more than willing to support a ban on alcohol.

Brian

[Danglar]

I bought a return ticket to Paris from Bernay (27) station when I was  there a fortnight ago and I am due to use it this saturday.

The ticket sales person behind the glass told me not to worry about the chosen hours of travel too much because if I missed one train I could always catch the next one w/out a penalty to pay. I was a bit surprised because I had gone there initially  prepared to pay for a full tariff fare in order to gain this extra benefit. But that person , having sold me a cheaper ticket, was telling me that because  I will be  travelling after 10am  I  will be allowed changes on the day ,  "penalty free".

It does not seem to be in line with what has been written and being reported here....

 

[Will]

It all seems to depend on the type of train. I know that for longer distances, like the TGV and Thalys trains, in order to avoid the death penalty, you have to have a ticket for the right train, a seat reservation, and about 82 different forms of ID...  [:)].

For shorter distance regional trains (though you can easily spend three hours on the train getting from where we are to Paris) you will still get a train and a seat reservation on your ticket, but if you want to use a different train that's no problem. You can also buy a ticket just before travel, but you don't get a reservation, which can be a problem on the shorter trains though it doesn't seem to stop many French from sitting where they want (the very idiosyncratic way of numbering seats and carriages might have something to do with this). These trains seem to be called TER or Corail (according to my timetable) whatever that means. Although it seems to be run by SNCF, the trains have the Conseil Regionale de Basse Normandie logos all over them, and get a lot of local funding, which might make a difference.

It is a bit of a culture shock. We seem to have the same number of trains to Paris per day here as we have during some hours to London from the smallish town where our English maison secondaire is situated. Yet the British moan about the frequency etc of the trains, while the rural French seem to think it's largely a good service.

[andyh4]

Will,

TER  = train express regionale  (ie will stop at most stations but to get the express accolade will not stop at all and proably not at the one you want)

Corail = contraction of comfort rail - coaches introduced in the mid to late 70's to provide a step up in standard from the then pretty poor level.  (pre-TGV).  Although refurbished, some are now getting a bit long in the tooth and therefore ripe for being picked up by the Conseils Regionales for subsidised services.

 

And watch out for TEOZ (no idea what that stands for - sounds like an SNCF marketing man throwing up) - just like the TGV, all seats bookable ONLY.  Get on the wrong train and its a big fine and death by a thousand insults from the guard/conductor - at least at the rate they speak it only lasts a couple of seconds! [:)]

 

 

[Iceni]

You all seem to labour under the impression that a rail service is there for the benefit of the passengers, sorry, customers when in truth the service would would run far more smoothly without them.

Having spent too many lifetimes commuting to London by way of Anglia Railways, Gt Eastern and their previous incarnations I cannot imagine ever travelling by rail again. Though if this nightmare should revisit I am pleased to read that I will feel at home with SNCF.

John

not

[Alcazar]

Interesting: it really is just what's been the rule in the UK for ages, although, of course, rules are made to be broken.............if it suits the franchise holder!

As for the alcohol ban, it apprently came from TBLiar's "Respect" think tank. They must be London based, as they hadn't worked out that QUITE a lot of alcohol is consumed by MPs on their way to, and from their constituencies to London. As soon as THAT group got wind of the proposal, it was quickly retracted[:D]

Alcazar