French train types (TGV, TER etc)?

[Masbroughlad]

Can anybody please explain the different trains please? TGV, TGVinoui and TER. Are there others?

Can I buy tickets on line? Are they interchangeable? Are tickets flexible or fixed trains?

To take this to the actual journeys. 2 of us want to travel together from Strasbourg to Colmar on Wednesday 4th of December for the day, return same evening (ie a day return).

Again, 2 travellers, Thursday 5th December in the evening, Strasbourg to Freiburg (Bressau) in Germany.

I know the DB systems fairly well, but a newcomer to SNCF.

(I've used my school German every year, so it's OK, my school French is less used and rather rusty! I know we have Google translate, but I like to know it's not telling me nonsense!).

 

[rvdborgt]

For Strasbourg to Colmar, just use the fast and frequent regional trains (TER). The TGV isn't faster (or just a few minutes) because there's no separate high-speed line.
From Strasbourg to Freiburg(Breisgau), I'd also use regional trains via Offenburg.

 

[ainsworth74]

TGV, TGVinoui and TER

TGV inoui is the full-fat TGV service (think full service airline), OuiGo uses TGV stock on high-speed lines but with a much higher seating density and no first class nor catering but has lower prices (think budget airline). TER is regional services. On a few routes there are also Intercités which is basically intercity services outside of the TGV routes.

TGVinoui and OuiGo are both compulsory reservation as I believe Intercités are as well (but my memory might be playing tricks with me there). There is no such thing really as a fully flexible ticket in the UK meaning on those classes of service but there are fares which can be exchanged/refunded prior to departure (or even after departure for some business ticket types) for travel on a different service for the fare difference (or potentially for a small fee depending on exact fare conditions, OuiGo for instance are non-refundable and a €10 fee always applies to exchanges).

Broadly I would treat TGVinoui, OuiGo and Intercités as basically being UK Advance Purchase ticket only operations but with slightly less onerous restrictions on exchanging tickets if your plans change in general.

SNCF Connect has quite a lot of information, in English, so you might want to poke around there. You can also buy tickets through it as well.

 

[biko]

I believe Intercités are as well (but my memory might be playing tricks with me there)

Mostly true, but with exceptions of course… It depends on the route.

 

[nwales58]

Only a minority of Intercités are not reservation-compulsory, Nantes-Bordeux.

A few TER *are* reservation-compulsory for journeys starting or ending in Paris: about half to/from Normandy and (new) some out of Paris Est.

If you are wondering about TER Fluo, TER LiO and the like these are the marketing names for each region.

Other than those, you can treat TER as turn up, buy ticket (machine, human, online) and go. However, TER pricing is now determined by the regions and some have much cheaper advance tickets, 'petits prix' or 'bons plans', as well as the walk-up fare. Grand Est has Eur 3/5/10 advances. Some have good value rovers, although in Grand Est these are only for Alsace. Called Alsa+ you can buy a single urban area, or a one Département (67 Bas-Rhin for Strasbourg) or the old Alsace region 67+68. The price for 2-5 people (groupe journée) is only a little more than for 1 (solo).

To confuse people, some of the information is where you might expect:

https://www.sncf-connect.com/ter-grand-est-fluo

but the rover ticket information only seems to be on:

https://www.ter.sncf.com/grand-est

look under Tarifs

If you are saving money by staying over the border in germany you want Europass rather than Alsa+

 

[Gloster]

You can also get buses between Colmar and Freiburg: R26 Colmar-Breisach and then 700 or the S-Bahn on to Freiburg. See .rvf.de .

 

[route101]

How many Intercites routes are there?

Bordeaux to Marseille is one I used last year.

 

[nwales58]

How many Intercites routes are there?

See

Intercités — Wikipédia

fr.wikipedia.org

then skip down to the 'Réseau actuel' section, quite a few listed there are night trains though.

 

[signed]

as I believe Intercités are as well (but my memory might be playing tricks with me there)

Not every, but that's mostly pedentic, Intercités are 99% à réservation obligatoire

(I've used my school German every year, so it's OK, my school French is less used and rather rusty! I know we have Google translate, but I like to know it's not telling me nonsense!).

SNCF is quite good at their English versions, and the SNCF Connect app is not that bad.

Are they interchangeable?

To add to the other answers, as a basic footing, TER tickets are never refundable/exchange on the day of validity, but they are always, bar any special offers, at the same price at TVMs on the day (note that you can't usually buy a TER-only ticket from the SNCF Grandes Lignes white and purple-red machines, but there are always the regional TVM not that far away)

To take this to the actual journeys. 2 of us want to travel together from Strasbourg to Colmar on Wednesday 4th of December for the day, return same evening (ie a day return).

If anyone in your party has under 26 years old, the Grand Est Fluo RailCard is at €1 for a year and gives 50% off any TER ticket and the same to a companion on weekends only.

https://www.ter.sncf.com/grand-est/tarifs-cartes/cartes-reduction/carte-fluo

For 2 Adults, a Strasbourg-Colmar return is €30.20, fixed price, travel any time on the day.

Thursday 5th December in the evening, Strasbourg to Freiburg (Bressau) in Germany.

Strasbourg to Offenburg - RE7 to Freiburg.

You can get a day Europass Family for €11.60 for 2 people and then get a €9.60 per person ticket from Ringsheim/Europa-Park to Freiburg (all RE7 stop at Ringsheim, and it's the boundary of the Europass).

https://mmt.vsct.fr/sites/default/files/swt/CGRE/2022-03/abo_europass_2022.pdf

< Info plaquette about the Europass ticket

 

[rvdborgt]

Not every, but that's mostly pedentic, Intercités are 99% à réservation obligatoire

Not quite. Béziers-Clermont Ferrand, Nantes-Bordeaux, Nantes-Lyon and Toulouse-Hendaye have optional reservations.

 

[signed]

Not quite. Béziers-Clermont Ferrand, Nantes-Bordeaux, Nantes-Lyon and Toulouse-Hendaye have optional reservations.

I doubt it

I know first hand that the Intercités Nantes Bordeaux has mandatory seat reservation, at least the full way down, maybe it's different if you start/end at a intermediate station

 

[rvdborgt]

I doubt it

I got it straight from the SNCF website.

I know first hand that the Intercités Nantes Bordeaux has mandatory seat reservation, at least the full way down, maybe it's different if you start/end at a intermediate station

Whoever the first hand was has it wrong. That one has optional €1.70 reservations, regardless of the journey. If you buy a regular ticket though, you automatically get a reservation.

 

[signed]

If you buy a regular ticket though, you automatically get a reservation

Sure, but the trains I see on the SNCF apps can and are full and unbookable. There is nowhere I can get a reservation-less ticket to travel (short of going to a ticket office maybe) even if I wanted to stand for 4h.

But I do agree that you can probably get on such train with an Interrail pass or something like that.

Joined is a full and unbookable error on a Nantes-Bordeaux intercités

 

[DeverseSam]

There is nowhere I can get a reservation-less ticket to travel (short of going to a ticket office maybe) even if I wanted to stand for 4h.

In fact you can buy a flexible ticket for a later service and use it on the “full” one