PARIS to BARCELONA on the FAMOUS TGV Duplex! - First Class Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- Today we're going to be taking a ride on the Renfe-SNCF en Cooperatión train, running at speed from Paris to Barcelona! This trip will be on an iconic TGV Duplex unit, a double-decker high-speed train. Hope you enjoy!
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Journey Details:
Origin: Paris Gare de Lyon
Destination: Barcelona-Sants
Company: Renfe-SNCF en Cooperatión
Train: SNCF TGV 2N2 (Euroduplex)
Accommodation: Première Classe Seat (1st)
Distance: 675 miles / 1086 kilometres
Price: €172.50 (£144.30 / $208.20)
Time: 6h44m + 18L
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11:50 mins : I am French and the area next to the toilets is for making phone calls without disturbing other passengers. Otherwise it's a great video :)
Ahh, that's a really good idea actually! Thank you.
Wow! Thanks!
@@SuperalbsTravels it's really cool because the fact there is a sofa and a sign encourages people to actually come here instead of a lot of trains where people disturb the whole carriage because they call from their seats
The Siemens SCB-40 Brightline trains in the USA also has these seats.
Can't you understand he is the typical ignorant anglo-saxon?
I know it's been said again and again, but i can't stress enough how much i appreciate your effort (and often success) in pronouncing foreign names correctly, it really makes you stand out amongs all the other travels channels
This!
Thanks. Glad you appreciate the effort! I take great pride in trying to pronounce foreign languages. 😌
Love to see more Spanish train video’s thanks a lot.
Particularly tricky in France where French is pronounced quite differently in the south of the country from that in Paris. Paucity of service on this run for U.K. travellers is problematic as only the afternoon train really works.
@@christophernoble6810 then very similar to England, where things are pronounced differently in the South to the North
This video popped up on my youtube page, and since we had recently done this trip I thought it would be fun to relive it. I immediately recognized you as you were sitting right behind my grandson and I on the trip! You did an excellent job of capturing the journey and the features of the train, and it was a joy to see us pop up occasionally in your shots.
Amazing coincidence! 😳😂
I love trains in general but the Euroduplex has a special place in my heart, as it was my first introduction to the magic of good rail transit. They opperate between my two home cities of Casablanca and Tangier, Morocco. I’ve been on them countless times and it’s always been a great experience.
Oh cool! I've been on the Al Boraq too, it was an incredibly interesting experience.
I hate duplexes with a passion. You always feel crammed in there, like in a plane. Don't even mention taking the stairs up and down with your luggage...
Recently took the SNCF line from Paris (CDG) to Lyon and back to Paris. It was a great experience and we got the train directly from the airport after flying into the country. It was also much cheaper than a comparable route in the US.
Be aware that the trains can sometimes run out of water before the end of the journey making bathroom visits a little uncomfortable. Also, it’s a good idea to stock up on food, drinks and snacks before boarding.
Well, is it so hard not to eat for 6 hours? :D
@@maximustiberius4092 Absolutely not, personally I can go for 16 hours no problem however it's obvious that a lot of people out there don't find it so easy.
Great - ‘no nonsense’ review. You hit all the pertinent points in an intelligent and succinct manner.
Thank you!
Great video. I was really impressed by your graphics, particularly the route 'over fly' from station to station at a pertinent time during the video.
thank you for all these useful information. you explain every single details in a very simplified way. wish you best of luck
This would be a train I would ride myself. Thanks for the review mate. Its a big help!
i took this train three weeks ago from montpellier saint-roch to paris gare de lyon. the views were breathtaking. im never flying with ryanair again!
My wife and I really enjoy train trips and we recently moved to Germany, so your channel is an awesome resource of trip ideas! Last week we were in Strasbourg and saw one of these TGV duplex to Paris, they are quite beautiful!
So nice to hear, thank you! :)
@@SuperalbsTravelsconsidering moving to the Netherlands. I’m 14, here’s to 2027!
Great video. You can really see how the light changes from Paris to the south of France and Spain. Thanks for sharing your journey. A detailed and helpful review.
Thank you! It was such a difference from start to finish.
Thanks for the review - I agree with you on the interior veering towards tha garish side, but the lamps are a nice touch. It will be interesting to see what improvements competition on the route will bring.
Great video as always. Sounds like a great trip to do.
Great travelogue of the train ride from Paris to Barcelona 👍⭐👍 I'm surprised that this train trip takes just under 7 hours. I think who sits on top of the duplex TGV has advantages with the view 🤗😎 It is the same with our trains in Switzerland. Especially because of the many noise barriers, you can see almost nothing of the landscape on the lower deck. Again thank you for this great video!
Well, that was a very thorough and well-explained video, thanks for that 🙂
Great video! Thank u very much! Wonderful scenery and nice comfort on the train but you are right about the limited catering on such a long trip. For the regular price of the first class ticket, your meal should have been included or unlimited snacks and drinks. But anyhow, this is an amazing looking trip and thank you for sharing! Cheers!
Before Covid there was 4 trains between Paris and Barcelona but they didn't put back the 4 trains. Also the cooperation didn't really work out and they decided to stop it. Now it is only sncf, I could take it and service on board is better like the food is now good! I think this line is my favorite I love it!
As a first viewer, I was totally impressed by the consummate quality of this video ands such, have subscribed
Looking forward for more.
Thank you very much, a lot more to come!
An interesting clip -a nice journey .
Enjoyable video thanks. Interesting that you mentioned pickpocketing at the Gare de Lyon. In 2014 we did a Great Rail Journeys holiday to Lake Garda, taking the direct Paris to Milan TGV. A thief attempted to pickpocket our tour manager but came off worse when she kicked him hard in the knee, he collapsed in agony on the concourse and was immediately arrested by the police. SNCF's catering is not generally very good, so it will be interesting to see what happens when RENFE go into competition on the route.
Hahahaha, good to hear they got what they deserved!
Surprised they didn’t arrest the tour guide with her picking him..
@@s125ish SNCF staff know the problem and they generally know the thieves too, so they thrust the customers and don't prevent multiple peoples to take their train just to explain what happen, as the guy didn't managed to steal anything he would be freed in a matter of hours anyway. In the streets, when police can't be sure of what happened the take everyone to the post.
"Sadly overcowded" ???? Pease , for me it's a joy seeing a train station almost as full as a airport. It should be like this in every station, rail is the way of the future.
It's great to see trains getting use, but this was unpleasantly cramped.
The issue is there would be more space if they were allowed back onto the platforms like a reasonable railway. The plane-ification of the RRs is a disaster.
@@Cyarrick1 I agree 100%!
Being a extrovert, I agree with seeing crowds and relish at momentary opportunities to converse with others ethnicities. I’ll be taking this very route after thanksgiving with my daughter and I’m very excited.
I LOVE TRAINS 🚊 🚆
This is my favourite train journey in Europe. I live about 40 minutes SW of Barcelona, and spent the last weekend of August in Perpinyà (El centre del món .<
I kinda want to go visit Disneyland in Neem now... xD
The food en borde is deffo nowhere near as good as it was pre-covid. I worked in Paris for 3 months in 2016, and they were offering hot food trays, and this seems to have fallen to the unstoppable march of progress.
Oh, *the sofa between the carriages is so people go there to use their phones rather than irritating the heck out of everyone in the coach proper.* Also, I can't stand the lower deck because of the fact there's no rear exit. :/
I do love visiting the South-East of France, but yeah, the last couple of months it's been 10C higher than even Barcelona, it's nuts how hot it is there compared to nearby places.
Oh, there are 4 trains a day in either direction now. I wonder if that changed in the last month or so? Also, bugger, I really don't want the Renfesensayef offering to end, I've been on the Ouitrains and the iryo inside Spain, and also the TGV Proper in France, and I have a feeling that if SNCF take over the full route, it'll be bumped over to be more like Ouitrain than the current ones. :/ That said, the Ouitrains are great when it comes to cost-effectiveness for in-Spain travel, as is iryo, so maybe I'm just worrying needlessly? I mean, SNCF's high-speed offerings in France are great, sooo... *shrug kaomoji here*
I'm guessing you're here to try out iryo and Ouitrain, so if you come back via Barcelona, or if you come back this way, you should deffo organise a meet-up somewhere in town. ^^
That's a REALLY detailed comment, and I thank you for that. :)
Unfortunately I have left Spain nearly a month ago now.
I have been to Narbonne a couple of times, most recently a month ago. I travel by train from the middle of the UK and then via EuroStar to Paris Gare du Nord and then by metro to Gare de Lyons. The contrast between train services is stark (when UK trains are not on strike). SNCF and TER services are always on time, very clean and comfortable, very good value for money and the entire system is so easy to use (using the SNCF app to book tickets). I just hope they don't change the system or make it more expensive. If you get the opportunity try cycling alongside the Canal de la Robine from the centre of Narbonne either to Gruissan or Port-La_Nouvelle. You might be able to get a closer look at those flamingoes.
I precisely love the lower deck *because* they are dead ends : virtually no passengers passing by your seat, you can sleep or work undisturbed for hours with barely any movement around you.
Every single lower deck cabin is a dead end where the ambiance is quiet and cozy.
Plus, there's more room for luggage there.
While on the other hand, upper level cabins can see half the train passing by your seat, especially if you're in the cars adjacent to the bar (because inter-carriage gangways are exclusively on the upper deck).
One other asset of the lower deck on top of more room for luggage is luggage "safety" : the position of the luggage racks at the very end of the lower deck cabins, opposite from the only entry point makes it extremely difficult for wannabe opportunistic thieves.
A thief would have to enter the cabin, go up to the dead end racks, rummage through the luggage and then walk back again in front of passengers who know he's not seated in this cabin.
When traveling with sports gear, or other equipment worth stealing., that's peace of mind.
Each lower deck cabin is a small, cozy and isolated community that doesn't see much visitors.
It feels almost like a private cabin.
Bah, there are dozens of much better train journies in Europe! Barcelona and Cataluña in general are very boring and uninteresting...
A great review!! Thanks for informing us about the interesting history of the beautiful Gare de Lyon. I've passed through it on the same route down to Barcelona but never seen it so crowded! Maybe they'll expand it again or hopefully it is just a seasonal crowd.
I do love the views of the coast on the last leg of the journey. I recall thr flamingoes too hahaah! Sete and Montpellier are hidden gems!
I concur with your views on the train. It is a good service but room for improvement on food offerings and luggage. I always had good experiences though but was always curious about that sofa outside the toilets too! Only sat on them once or twice but pretty convenient for a break from your neighbour or waiting for the toilets!
Thanks for bringing back the happy memories of Paris and down to Barcelona! I look forward to your Spain videos and can't wait for them! Hope I can go again soon 😃
Thank you very much for your comment!
@@SuperalbsTravels You’re most welcome! It’s my pleasure 👍
Thank you, an interesting review. I hadn't remembered Perpignan for many years until you mentioned it and recalled early holidays with my parents to Spain's Costa Brava in the 1960s. There was no airport in that part of Spain then, so we flew to Perpignan and then had a 3 hour coach trip over the Pyrenees! In fact, the first time, in 1962, was a new tour operator's very first trip there and the coach stopped at a café in a village in the mountains for a drink and comfort break. To the guide's embarrassment, they only had 6 cups and saucers and there were over 30 people on the coach, so as each group got served the waiters hovered waiting to whisk the cups away! An unusual excuse for late arrival!
Great job. Thanks
1:45 Treniatlia is not a private company, Italy's private high speed operator is called Italo. Trenitalia is state-owned and operated.
Actualy the operator is called NTV, Italo is the name of the service, just like the high-speed service of Trenitalia is called Frecciarossa.
@@mancubwwa fair enough
True, I think I meant to say open-access.
It is operating as a private operator on the Paris-Milan line, or on C2C in the British Empire
@@budapestkeleti6404 British Empire?
Good video.. Appreciate your efforts 👍
Thanks! 😁
Thanks for the ride !!! 🇺🇾
Thanks for coming along! 😁😁
I had the opportunity to travel the Duplex TGV once from Paris to Rennes, 300km in 2hrs. Also on first Class and I must admit, this was the best 1st Class experience I ever had on a train. The seats were great and the giant table was just awesome.
They are really comfy! :)
@@SuperalbsTravelsas an American minor, I’ve got some dreams of moving to the Netherlands in particular since I’m just well, fed up with the United states’s absolutely insane chaos. I know obviously europe isn’t much better but I don’t really mind. Hopefully I can get a few dozen rides on the TGV!
Great video. You mentioned "quaint French villages". The video sequence you showed at the point is that of the remains of the famous Cluny Abbey in Burgundy. It was before the French revolution the second largest church after St Peter's in Rome. The revolution destroyed part of it. The surrounding farmers took a lot of the abbey stones to build their housing and farms. As a Frenchman (living in the US), I have done the Paris-Lyon-Marseille route both in traditional trains and then in TGVs multiples times. I also did the line through Nîmes, Montpellier, Narboone (going on to Carcassonne, Toulouse etc.) many many times. People may disagree with me but I think with the TGV we gained in speed what we lost in comfort.I remember the first 'Trains Corails" who were extremely comfortable even in second class, were more refined in many ways, and had for most of them a real dining car, which was very nice. I simply don't understand the concept of that "bar area", overcrowded and small. It was assumed since the beginning that the emphasis had to be put on speed and that therefore travelers were using the high speed train for speed and not for slow leisure! I think with domestic lines now opened to competition, it will force the SNCF to up the standards a little bit and rethink for example the dining situation. Lucas Fouchier is correct in mentioning that those small couches are indeed for using cell phones. Unfortunately, since seat reservation is not required in some TGVs, people not finding a seat in peak period will use those seats and anything else they can seat on.
Which TGVs don't require a seat reservation?
@@SuperalbsTravels It has happened to me a few times (I am talking about 8-9 years ago) to get into an overcrowded TGV from Marseile to Paris where many people were standing , especially near the doors, near the luggage racks, and sitting on anything they could sit on. I was astonished at the time, since it was my understanding that getting into a TGV always required a reservation. On the other hand, I once got into a TGV from Marseille to Paris which broke down (which is rare) between Marseille and Valence (if I remember correctly). We had to go to the station and wait for another TGV which was coming from Montpellier, and which was a shorter set. We all had to cram into that TGV, with no reservations of course... I remember doing the rest of the trip standing up nears the door. Not fun. Maybe this is no longer the case and you cannot get into a TGV without a reservation. I have not taken it in at least 5-6 years.
Patrick, the two-seater has a overhead sign that reads "unplug", it could be just to try to remind people for doing just that but also because that area might be for waiting for a vacant restroom etc, although we can clearly see two wall plugs above the seats.
I agree that SNCF's speed concept has gave in to a less comfortable experience.
I too remember older trains and how comfortable they were. I also took the Amtrak in California for a 9hour journey and it was great!
I used to live in Villefranche (north of Lyon) and would take the TGV to Paris once in a while back in the day and it was pretty comfy back then but nothing like the Corails or else, or Amtrak... Cost might be an issue as they have to prioritize funding/financing special tracks, catenaires hmm catenary? etc. Special equipment for running high speed trains is what I mean.
Great video !!
Thanks!
Your channel Is addictive. I like how you present your content. Keep up the good work, mate.
Thank you very much, I've got a lot more to come... 😁
@@SuperalbsTravels I'll look forward to it
Please do more Spain's network. Excellent video of international service. Hopefully better services by separate operators from 2023..
thx for this rev!!!
No problem, thanks for watching!
A few years ago, did London-Paris-Barcelona by train in 1 day, including a recommended stop for lunch at Le Train Bleu. The Paris-Barcelona service was still quite new in those days. The train itself was OK, quite busy, the double deck something of a novelty. Scenically, the most interesting part of the journey was the ride along the Mediterranean coast. I was surprised by the scale of the vineyards and how run-down and graffitti-splattered were many of the towns and villages. Arrival into Barcelona-Sants was on time. All-in-all a good trip, but like other commentators here I'd like to see a quality outfit such as Trenitalia's Frecciarossa operating this route.
A fascinating look at a trip that I, my wife and granddaughter did partially - in the other direction - from Nice to Paris this past August. We overlapped from around Avignon to Paris but the train was essentially the same. The catering was not as good as I expected (we were also in 1st class upstairs) and I had rather hoped for more than a self-service stand-up café. I agree that by the look of it the Paris-Barcelona run was a bit below-par for a premium international route and we forget that the line is not always TGV speed (it took us four hours from Nice to Marseille). What is surprising is that when travelling in excess of 300kph you don't really sense the speed.
There are a couple of cities like that in France: near impossible to connect to the high speed train system, notably Nice and Brest in Brittany, too. Geographical issues. But there is an international airport in Nice, people just fly to there and Monte Carlo, you know.
Wow, I did not know that the train journey existed. I often stay in Paris , close to Les Halles .
Deffo must look at a dual city visit next time, prob October.
Thanks for video 👏
That sounds like a good idea! Thanks for watching. :)
just saw the rare sight of the vigirail set at 5:24 , very nice !
Great video. Cannot wait for your videos in Spain!
Thank you, got a couple of nice ones, but I think I need to film more. Which ones do you suggest?
@@SuperalbsTravels The coastal line from Barcelona Francia (the original counterpart of Gare de Lyon) to Tarragona. Canfranc to Zaragoza. The northern coast. Malaga-Bobadilla (the old line).
Thank you for this video
Hope you enjoyed! :)
Really excellent video, I thought it captured the journey brilliantly. Although I agree the on board facilities don't appear that great.
We travelled on the duplex from Antibes to Paris in 1st class with the new Business Premiere interior...a huge improvement on the blue/purple combo!
Great vid! More drom Spain would be welcome...
Been oscillating between taking a day service or a sleeper train south from Paris. The purported recent sleeper service cutback now favour a day service...
Always a shame to see sleeper trains cut...
The Gare de Lyon is grand, Barcelona-Sants is rather practical. I couldn't chose between them and I am rather glad, that both exists.
Done this journey 3 times now for Spanish holiday and finally now know how to pronounce various stations on route :)
Hahaha awesome! No guarantees it's 100% perfect, but I try. ;)
I was in Valance in 2020 good videos btw keep going
Thank you!
I think that you made a wonderful presentation.
Thank you! 😁
Yes, more from Spain please!
Just released this!
th-cam.com/video/YJu9h5BW2D0/w-d-xo.html
PAR-BCN used to be serviced by Talgo night trains discontinued in 2013 and that also had branches to Zurich and Milan. When I studied in BCN used to see them arrive at the other terminal (Estació de França) which is a grand 20th century station.
IMO I never took this route but a slower night train or just airplane seem much better alternatives. Though the latter in summer can be a headache with airport logistics.
Would be interesting to see night services back, Renfe fell for high speed fever and almost no night service is left in Spain
The last time I was at the Gare de Lyon was in 1991 and I was waiting for my friend who was coming in on a TGV from Geneva. In those days you could walk right out to the platforms. There were newspaper vending machines near the platforms, and I looked at them and saw the headline: "Gorbachev overthrown by conservatives". It was the August 1991 coup (which failed a few days later, starting the chain of events that led to the dissolution of the USSR) and that was how I learned about it. I've associated the moment with that place ever since.
Great stuff! 👌 I reckon you should try the scenic narrow gauge lines that run around Bilbao in northern Spain. 🤩
Been wanting to try that for years! Shame it's so difficult to get there...
@@SuperalbsTravels True but it would be worth the effort. 🤔
@@FromtheWindowSeat Interesting, I will definitely have to look into it!
@@SuperalbsTravels The easiest way to get there is probably through the TGV station of Hendaye, France. The narrow gauge line to San Sebastian and Bilbao starts right outside the station.
The first stretch from Hendaye to San Sebastian is mostly tunnels (this train is nicknamed "el topo" [the mole] by the locals). But then the fun begins.
You can also take a bus from Irun to Bilbao which is much faster.
The two-tone gray/black with pink stripe livery is stunning.
Carmillion is sure better than the admittedly iconic blue-grey!
Really appreciate it
Thank you :)
Yes please to more videos from Spain.
First class video presentation and narration.
Thank you very much sir! :)
Thanks! I want to make this trip some day. I have been to Gare de Lyon but did not go to Barcelona. I plan to do so and will see what train service is available then. Thanks again.
Thanks for watching! Hope you have a lovely trip when you go.
Travelled from Gare de Lyon to Milan last month on TGV INOI
I lived in Montpellier so I always use this train to get there. Didn't realize it was that famous.
Thanks for this information. I have clients that need to do the reverse trip in May 2023.
1:45 just a little correction: Trenitalia is not a private operator, it's the italian public operator (the private one is "NTV" which operates with Italo trainsets) :)
Nice video! Very precise - no rhapsodising about train travel😏
I have taken this route, it was an adventure, not so sure I would do it again, though.
The Gare d Lyon station was crazy busy but beautiful. Barcelona is a favourite city and their station is a bit bus station, but it works? Cheers.
I took this trip today and I was amazed at the overall experience, it's certainly not perfect but comparing it to the UK's train system, it's clear the French (and Spanish) are decades ahead
I find it quite common with train stations shortly announcing the platform to have big crowds in the main halls. plus it seems to be more prone at head stations where the track stops.
I agree. I can understand time is needed to clean the trains, but boarding so soon before departure is just plain stupid IMO
Yep, it would be so much nicer for crowds if we could go where we wanted.
Nice effort nice vedio.Although I can't travel on these trains but much enjoy in my bed.Thanks for the nice and information vedio.GoodLuck
Thank you
5:24 oh you caught Vigirail or Iris 320, it's the french "Doctor Yellow", the TGV monitoring the LGVs of France and Belgium,as well as the eurotunnel........
You're in luck, it goes around the network in 1 week, always on the same schedule.
For the low number of seats in the Bar car, it is due to the fact that, traditionally, in France, meals last a long, very long time (this is also why it is a Bar car and not a restaurant) .
To prevent people from staying too long on the bar seats, we make them want to return to their seats by limiting the possibilities.
the sofa near toillets is for using your phone... or achange temporary atmosphere
Cool! I thought that it was something unique, that's why I left it in the video. :)
6+ HR journeys are bang on that transition point, where air travel makes sense.
No London - Frankfurt direct services, only a handful of Beijing - Shanghai
Will be interesting to see how it goes as two operators.
Beijing to Shangai runs more than once every hour. London to Frankfurt is lacking because the UK is a difficult country to run trains to (and in general too, I must admit).
Hopefully things will get better in the future.
I love Nimes... little tidbit, the Pont du Gard aqueduct supplied water for their manufacture of a indigo-blue fabric that was known by it's location as "de-nimes." Today we call it "denim."
Hi. Really appreciate your effort and loved the video with all the details. I have a question, when and where did you booked the reservation for this journey. I have a eurail global pass and i will be taking this train in april 2023
Don’t forget that according to Salvatore Dali the Perpignan’s railway station is the center of the Universe. Oh yeah !
I did once this trip coming back from Paris and it was very long but cool
Done that train for a many a year at the beginning of September, returning five weeks later. From memory, they only had the ticket barriers installed about five years ago. Platforms were always easy access before then so they've just made matters worse. It's not as if the tickets are not inspected when one is on board.
It is anti terror reaction, Spain and france had mayor bomb attacks on there trains, and since than, they changed from free access to gated entrance like airports
But there's no security control, so all you have to do is buy the cheapest ticket and you can get on the platform.
@@SuperalbsTravels Its a small security to prevent a psycho to get on a random train, or at least to ensure that a potential terrorist will have been registered, then its easy to find its face at the station office. Also it avoids people from getting on the wrong track, or worst in the wrong train, as there might be hundred of km before the next stop. Finally its a great mesure against thieves, some would go on the train, grab any luggage and leave just before the train start so no one can follow them. If they try to do that they'll be catched by the security when trying to leave. Its impossible to check every luggage like in an airport, so the ticket verification is one of the only things they can do.
@@justeunfan3364 Just came back last week after four years away. Anyone know why the 10.14/15 from GdL now departs at 9.38, making it impossible for us Brits to get the early connection? #Brexitrevenge Also, just made the later train South, with it being moved into Hall 3 grrr. A big shout out to the guy on the gate who let me through. Saved me a night in a hotel. Should have been okay but E* left St P 20 minutes late and RER D was once again, shocking. Good luck with the Olympics next year.
Your effort in pronouncing all the names right is next-level! Somehow the Dutch "ch" seeped through in French here though (Montepllier Saint-Roch), you caught me a bit off-guard there with the sudden outburst of Dutch harshness, especially since your not Dutch😂
France is putting lots of new LGV projects into motion that should eventually make this journey much closer to 4 hours than 6 (and 45 mins), with projected Paris to Madrid times basically being the same as your journey to Barcelona, if not under.
That would be incredible!
5h45 or so in maybe 15 years if direct, if not direct close to 6h15 I guess.
Except the Bordeaux-Toulouse Montpellier-Perpignan LGV lines nothing much to be expected in LGVs. The Marseille-Nice one is not exactly a LGV and will take a minimum of 20 years to be fully completed (no planned completion date and no financing yet). The Lyon-Turin line in 10 years with the tunnel (a Franco-Italian project).
Slowly but surely...
not really. There is not new "LGV projects" in the cart because there is not valuable economic projects outside those whose exist today. ( not enough population or time travel between 2 & 3 hours from Paris ). Just consider in France, when time travel is'nt superior to 2 hours, train has a lot advantage vs airplanes with usually 80% share market for the train. When the time travel reaches 3 hours u have 50% of the market for train & 50% for planes. After 3 hours, planes r choosen by consumers.
@@jeanpierreragequit1726that limit is more like 4 than 3 hours.
That's why the Lyon-Turin line is being constructed: Paris-Milan in 4h10 (or so).
Only Toulouse and Nice are not yet within 4 hours by train from Paris.
The only issue to me is the possible advent of unexpensive secure electrical plane flights in maybe less than 50 years, that would make the 3 hour "distance" more relevent.
@@jandron94 nope. I work for the french railways & what i learned 20 years ago is still true.
When u have a Lyon-Turin market with more than 4 hours to travel, that doesnt mean u can't compete with planes & ur train business plan is wrong, that does mean the market share is dominated by planes.
That's y we'll never see 30 round trip a day between France & Italy today.
Conversely, u have 1 train each hour from Paris from 6 AM till 21PM or 22PM to :
- Nantes
- Lille
- Lyon
for instance..the time travel is in between 1 & 2 hours.
air companies can't compete with this time travel.
The small sofa is intended for travelers who call, you do not call from your seat out of politeness towards other travelers in France.
Great video! I feel like I know so much more about how my trip will be when I take this trip later this year. I do wonder. You mentioned the Gare De Lyon doing renovations for accessibility. I use a wheelchair. Do they have some accommodations already? Are there any train entrances with no stairs?
They should have a wheelchair lift at the station to access the dedicated area for wheelchairs. :)
My wife and I did this as part of my honeymoon unfortunately our journey was delayed due to lightning striking the overhead leaving us stranded in place for 2 hours or so. Also I assume the catering was provided by the French side on that trip because the menu looked very different and they had a surprisingly good Bordeaux wine and passable food if you were willing to stand in line for ages for it.
I could not agree more with your assessment. I took the same seat from Montpelier to Paris recently with only a knapsack and a small wheelie. I had to hold the knapsack on my lay as the couch was already full when I boarded.
Thanks for watching, the luggage situation is not great. I'm glad I travel light.
Thanks, enjoyed the video. Living in the North West of England any long distance trip by train is a bit of an ordeal and expensive.
Yup, sounds a bit of a challenge. Glad you enjoyed my video!
I have taken it. I agree with your assessment: There is much room for improvement, catering, design and at least in my case cleanliness of the train. Given I was traveling first class too, that was really annoying.
When I rode on that train, people used the sofas in-between carriages if they wanted some peace and quiet outside the sometimes noisy carriages
Sounds good!
Great video i love your content, i would recomend in spain the routes of Madrid-Barcelona Madrid-Santiago and Madrid-Malaga.
And Zaragoza Madrid. But definitely not Madrid Principe Pío to Sahagún... el columpio, which regularly fails to complete the journey.
This trip looks good to me.
We visited Narbonne in 2014, and fir a laugh on the way back to Toulouse we popped into a UK Shop, the owner was from Scotland (we are too), and he sold Irn Bru, our national drink
Hahaha, it's always weird finding UK shops abroad!
Not easy to know how much you are going to pay. It depends on a lot of factors. When you buy your ticket, the earlier the better, when you travel , dates and even hours can make a huge difference to the price of your ticket from a 15 euros at 10 am to a 100 euros at 15 pm from Avignon to Paris.
If possible buy your ticket as soon as it is possible. Compare prices according to different departures and arrivals. Of course you can find a 15 euros ticket and even cheaper for a 7 am train but if your family expects you at 8 pm you have to take the 150 euros train.
Great video! Any idea if there are plans to get a dedicated track for high speed all the way through? And how much time could they shave off?
Not sure! There are a few extra pieces of high-speed track on the route, but they're not in use yet.
Did the Nimes run a few years ago, and using GDL next month for a weekend in Nice.
Funny thing is I’m upper deck, car 12 too, but 102.
Oh, so pretty nearby then! Enjoy the trip along the riviera.
If you don't mind, how about trying TGV Inoui from Paris to Bordeaux? That route also use TGV 2n2 sets, but those Euroduplex have totally different interior. Not to mention that the Océane first class seats are rotated 180 degrees to face forward.
It is necessary to aim for the direct Paris Bordeaux to have more chance to have some (the omnibuses use the old Atlantic TGV).
But it's not guaranteed, I took a direct Rennes-Paris (1h50) and I had two Dayse (the 7xx)....so sad
That sounds interesting! I've wanted to try this interior for some time actually.
Would you mind telling me the kind of software you used to zoom out the Paris Station-show the map of France-and then zoom in the Barcelona Station. It looks like Google Earth but maybe not. Thanks for sharing. Nice vidéo BTW.
This route just begs for the overnight service between Paris and Barcelona to be restored. Unfortunately neither SNCF nor RENFE want anything to do with running a sleeper service. The route would be a prefect service for a NightJet but the service area is too far from OBB's home country. Last thing I heard the Talgo night train equipment is sitting vandalized on a siding somewhere in Spain.
I believe the sofa at 11:52 if for making phone calls, in the Madrid-Barcelona Ouigo service, using the same type of trains they have a sign about that
Sounds like a good idea!
What a wonderful review. Thanks for this video. I will be traveling this route with my son in a few months and I have to admit, I'm very nervous about the station in Paris. I don't speak French and I'm not used to train travel. How far in advance should someone like me show up to the station, and will I be able to find my way? Thanks.
Great Video!!! Any plans to come to Ireland any time soon?
Very soon, actually! 😁
what you missed in the train station of Sète is that it's a world historic site: this is where the First ever motion picture ever was recorded.
Great trip. I'm curious about the onboard service on this route before rebranding into Inoui, is that great at that time? Can't wait for your Spain Trip Report, especially trying Iberian Gauge Train.
I never travelled before the rebrand. This was actually my first proper journey on a TGV Duplex in fact!
Thanks for watching. :)
@@SuperalbsTravels I mean for someone who trying this train on this route before rebranding
Well well - had no idea that Gare de Lyon was twinned with Seoul Station (have been to both). Interestingly, the high speed KTX trains, which go from Seoul and I have also been on, are designed on the TGV model. And Seoul is pronounced 'Sowl' locally, which I would never have known either. Regarding your valid comment on the lack of services between the two cities, I guess that the problem is the distance-most people would opt for the faster but much more boring 1 hour + flight. Great vlog and many thanks - have done the TGV to Marseille on numerous occasions. 👍😊
About the last part: in transit, demand can be generated by supply. If SNCF would operate a two-hour service, which is definitely possible (combined with domestic trains in France, the Perpignan - Figueres lines is scandalously underused) the demand would follow. Now, these trains are very quickly fully or almost fully booked, leading to very high ticket prices. Don't know if competition is the right answer here, but we will have to see how it develops...
@@Giruno56 Yes indeed - I understand that the 1-hour frequency of the Gare de Lyon - Marseille TGV more or less wiped out the Air France Shuttle service (may be wrong on this?).
I'd love to go to Seoul. I don't suppose you've visited Tehran station? 😅
@@SuperalbsTravels No, never been to Iran. Flown over Tehran once, but that's as close as I got! 🙁
I was suprised to see that your TGV apparently used the conventional tracks between Nîmes and Montpellier. Because the TGV-style extension covering this leg (as a first step to all-TGV standard all the way to Perpignan), aka Contournement Nîmes - Montpellier, has been operational for a few years.
The Spanish have their own suspicions about why this might be. ;p
Overhead luggages tracks seem to be here to accommodate coats, jackets etc.