Train strike

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martyn94
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Train strike

Post by martyn94 »

I was due to travel from Port Vendres to Paris on Thursday: without success, because although my TGV from Montpellier ran OK, there was no way of getting to the start.

I rebooked on the 1751 on Friday from Perpignan: without much thinking about it, on the Renfe-SNCF set which comes from Barcelona. Come Friday morning, my coaches were shown as running, but the other half of the train, which starts from Perpignan, was shown as cancelled. Pretty well everything else through/from Perpignan was also cancelled.

In the event, we got to Perpignan by bus, which was tiresome on a non-aircon bus but no worse, and both halves of the TGV ran without problems beyond some delay caused by extra stops at Valence and Lyon.

It may have just been coincidence, but if the strike drags on, you might well improve your chance of travelling if you pick the "Renfe-SNCF" train numbers.
Merisin
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Post by Merisin »

In all the time we have lived here we have never taken the train. If you look at the news hardly a day goes past when some part of the French transport system is en greve. The only thing that has improved is that the lorry drivers no longer routinely block the roads when the mood takes them.

Mary
martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

Merisin wrote:In all the time we have lived here we have never taken the train. If you look at the news hardly a day goes past when some part of the French transport system is en greve. The only thing that has improved is that the lorry drivers no longer routinely block the roads when the mood takes them.

Mary
It may seem that way, but most of the time the train is much the nicest, quickest, least stressful way of doing it, and even reasonably cheap, now I am a "senior". Though obviously it depends where you are coming from. In any event, someone who has never, ever taken the train is ill-placed to advise on its merits: you really should try it some time - it might surprise you.

One experience you will never have. The first time I came down here was on the night sleeper to Banyuls (ça 1982): there are few better travel experiences anywhere than setting off at night somewhere grotty and waking up somewhere new the next morning with the sun on the sea.
monsans
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trains

Post by monsans »

Brilliant, I use whenever I can. Great when someone else is doing the driving, bus, train, ship, aeroplane.
tubs
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Trains

Post by tubs »

We come over 6 or 7 times a year, always by train now. The one time we had a delay (train had a problem) we were kept informed at all times, given a picnic box of food, water, wet wipes, colouring books and pencils (for any children aboard) and onward journeys arranged for those of us who missed connections. Can't say fairer than that.

Give me the train over the plane anyday.
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Post by Merisin »

martyn94 wrote:
Merisin wrote:I In any event, someone who has never, ever taken the train is ill-placed to advise on its merits: you really should try it some time - it might surprise you.

One experience you will never have. The first time I came down here was on the night sleeper to Banyuls (ça 1982): there are few better travel experiences anywhere than setting off at night somewhere grotty and waking up somewhere new the next morning with the sun on the sea.
Oh but I have travelled by train. Just not in France! Been on the Orient Express, crossed the Rockies on Canadian Pacific, taken the jungle railway from Bangkok to Singapore.

Mary
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Trains

Post by tubs »

Yes but they're tourist trains, not the same thing at all.
Merisin
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Re: Trains

Post by Merisin »

tubs wrote:Yes but they're tourist trains, not the same thing at all.
If you think the train from Bangkok to Singapore is for tourists then think again!

Mary
martyn94
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Re: Trains

Post by martyn94 »

Merisin wrote:
tubs wrote:Yes but they're tourist trains, not the same thing at all.
If you think the train from Bangkok to Singapore is for tourists then think again!

Mary
As it happens, there is a deluxe tourist version - here http://www.easternandorientalexpress.co ... ourney.jsp

The ordinary one is also pretty full of tourists, though I cannot imagine using the KL-Singapore leg now that it no longer starts/ends at either of the classic stations. Butterworth to BKK was fun a few years ago, though.
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Post by Merisin »

I remember we were stopped for three hours one night, somewhere in Thailand, so the "Orient Express" could go through. BTW I forgot to say that when I travelled on the real Orient Express it was the late 60's. By then it was just a long distance service that meandered from, I believe, Hamburg to Istanbul. It was old fashioned compartment carriages, no air-con and wooden bench seats. When we crossed over into Yugoslavia the border guards seized all the food from one of our fellow passengers. She was on the train for another 36 hours. On the way back people were dragged screaming off the train. Quite an eye opener for a young student abroad for the first time.

Just so you know, like.

Mary

PS This is why I don't trust the SNCF. It happens regularly. The comments by the Indian tourist sums it up perfectly.

http://www.lindependant.fr/2014/06/15/b ... 895037.php
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Post by Geoman »

That's you told Merisin lol
martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

Merisin wrote:I remember we were stopped for three hours one night, somewhere in Thailand, so the "Orient Express" could go through. BTW I forgot to say that when I travelled on the real Orient Express it was the late 60's. By then it was just a long distance service that meandered from, I believe, Hamburg to Istanbul. It was old fashioned compartment carriages, no air-con and wooden bench seats. When we crossed over into Yugoslavia the border guards seized all the food from one of our fellow passengers. She was on the train for another 36 hours. On the way back people were dragged screaming off the train. Quite an eye opener for a young student abroad for the first time.

Just so you know, like.

Mary

PS This is why I don't trust the SNCF. It happens regularly. The comments by the Indian tourist sums it up perfectly.

http://www.lindependant.fr/2014/06/15/b ... 895037.php
If you read L'Indépendant as attentively as you evidently do, you will know that the A9 is "regularly" blocked for hours at a time when idiot teenagers crash their cars. And European airports are "regularly" blocked by Icelandic volcanoes...

If you actually use these modes of transport, you will know that it's not generally like that.
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Post by Santiago »

Don't get wound up by Merisin. The French train system is generally fabulous. It's certainly better that the British alternative which was basically a terribly run nationalised industry staffed by the only men in the 1980's who still had big sideburns. It was such a catastrophe that the government had to sell it and now its a hotchpotch of different regional services running trains on someone else's tracks. Prices are all over the place, trains still don;t run to schedule and none of them can go anywhere near the speed of a TGV, which has been around for decades here.

Last time I was on SNCF (TGV to Paris in 5 hours) the staff were all really pleasant. I'm not a unionist but I hope it all works out so we can continue to have a great train system and nice staff.

Personally I think the introduction of the 1€ fare is stupid. It degrades the service and makes people reticent to pay a reasonable fare.
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martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote:
Personally I think the introduction of the 1€ fare is stupid. It degrades the service and makes people reticent to pay a reasonable fare.
I think the logic is that even the "reasonable" fare has to be heavily subsidised by the region. At €1 a pop you pay a bit more subsidy to get a lot more travel. Doesn't seem too crazy to me.
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Post by montgolfiere »

Unfortunately our 'so called' Train service the Quillan to Carcassonne line has a completely useless 'Timetable' and is mainly Buses anyway. Sorry, i wouldn't take a Train over a Plane , couldn't afford it. The French Government have been trying (without success) to 'Reform' the Cheminots Retirement and Conditions for nearly 30 years which has led to sporadic confrontations!!!
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Post by Ariègeoise »

I love trains, and I love the trains here.

Where else could I get a daily sleeper train from Paris to my nearest station of Foix (the train stops at several local villages too on its way to Latour de Carol), all for 25€ if I book 90 days in advance? :D
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Post by Pearsonb »

One of the few good points about my worsening retinopathy is that I now use trains much more. Going up to Lyon to see my daughter is both faster and cheaper. The route up to Montpellier is really lovely and then the Ouigo train onwards to Lyon usually costs 20 euros or less. Also, the fast train from Figueras Vilafant to Barcelona cuts out all the hassle for a very fair price.
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Post by opas »

One of my holiday rentals has a guest arriving monday from , traveling from Barcelona by train........how do i find out if that route will be affected by the strike?
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Post by russell »

opas wrote:One of my holiday rentals has a guest arriving monday from , traveling from Barcelona by train........how do i find out if that route will be affected by the strike?
Crystal ball? :lol:

Russell.
martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

SNCF Direct.
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opas
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Post by opas »

Thanks for that, they are now hiring a car.
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