La Tour De Carol connection/France to Spain questions

[rg177]

Hi all,

I'm flying to Toulouse this morning and while I'd originally planned to get a bus to Andorra, the weather looks poor and hotels are rather extortionate (Storm Éowyn causing a flight cancellation means I haven't prebooked anything). So, as I'm flying back from Barcelona on Monday, I figured I'd look at some interesting rail routes to take.

Going via Latour de Carol seems most interesting - but I can't help but notice that the connections are daft levels of tight. The 0747 departure arrives at 1028 for the 1030 departure to Barcelona. Is this a connection that is realistically and regularly made? The next train is 1330 which wouldn't be catastrophic but it doesn't look like there'd be much to do there on a Sunday morning! I can't imagine that, being different operators, the connections wait for each other. RENFE and SNCF are hardly passenger-minded

Also, ticketing-wise, I assume its just buy on board for the second leg? Rodalies de Catalunya don't seem to have entered the digital age as far as I can tell and it doesn't sound like they have a machine (not that there'd be much time to use it) at Latour de Carol.

The alternative would be to go via Narbonne and Portbou but on Monday I'll probably have a run up to Girona and back which will tick off part of that route.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[class ep-09]

Few years back we did that trip and used that connection - it was kind tight but long enough to make it.
SNCF train had bit of padding in the timetable and got us to La Tour couple of minutes before booked arrival time.

There was guard on the train to Barcelona selling tickets .

Prepare for LOOONG journey on suburbian but relatively spacious and comfortable units for both legs ( comparing to “ironing boards” in the UK seats were really good) .

No refreshments on either of the trains so prepare yourself for the trip

 

[signed]

Also, ticketing-wise, I assume its just buy on board for the second leg?

Yes, buy on board, €12pp. Last time I went in 2021, cash only, but reports seem to indicate they take card nowadays

 

[stadler]

Yes, buy on board, €12pp. Last time I went in 2021, cash only, but reports seem to indicate they take card nowadays

Looking on the Rodalies De Catalunya website it still says that payment onboard trains are cash only and card is not accepted. Maybe they forgot to update the website but i would make sure to have cash to be certain.

 

[I13]

Looking on the Rodalies De Catalunya website it still says that payment onboard trains are cash only and card is not accepted. Maybe they forgot to update the website but i would make sure to have cash to be certain.

Card was accepted when I went in 2022.

 

[stadler]

Card was accepted when I went in 2022.

Thank you. That is good to know. They must have just not bothered to update the website. The last time i was on this line was 2019 and it was cash only so i presume starting to accept cards happened during covid at some point.

 

[signed]

RENFE and SNCF are hardly passenger-minded

They are somewhat, when I went back home from Barcelona through Cerbère.

We had a train breakdown on the Rodalies, waiting 20min for a following Renfe MD train to special stop, and some very bad wildfires were in progress in the Portbou area so the RENFE train arrived like 20min late, we missed the night train up to Paris.

SNCF, despite being mortal enemies of RENFE, held up a TER train for the late Rodalies train passengers to get up to Perpignan where we, by pure luck, caught the night train.

 

[30907]

I have made a 1-minute connection at LaTour off the equivalent train when SNCF were a few minutes late. The only passengers on the Rodalies were the handful making the connection.

 

[rg177]

Thanks all. I'll ponder it over and see which route I fancy - I'd like to do the route via La Tour de Carol at some point this year, if not tomorrow.

Edit - Apologies, another question. If I wish to travel via Portbou is booking at the station the only option? SNCF connect flatly refuses to let me book to there, only to Cerbere.

The answer is yes - specifically at a ticket office! The TER ticket office at Toulouse Matabiau sorted me out quickly - friendly English-speaking staff as well so no need to inflict my high school French on them

 

[HS2isgood]

Latour and Cerbère are very neglected because nearly no one uses them. Also Renfe is slowly integrating the remaining trains into booking engines, as needed for future EU cross-ticketing. Narrow gauge and Cercanías are already in booking engines, but Catalan regional services are still missing.

 

[rg177]

Yes - I did notice that the Interrail app has gained a few services since the last time I checked - though fear not, I'm not actually using that to plan any of these journeys

My connection tomorrow is into a Media Distancia so fingers crossed it isn't full up (as of course, its also impossible to book online) - though I suppose its a Sunday morning in January and I only want to go to Girona on it.

 

[Starmill]

For future reference, you can always stop off at Ripoll for 30/60 minutes depending on the weather and time of day. This should allow you to stock up with a drink and snacks. There are loos at the station, however the trains are supposed to have them onboard.

https://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/horaris/index.html If you type the name into this website it should show you live times. Alternatively here https://www.adif.es/en/w/77200-ripoll?pageFromPlid=335

Yes - I did notice that the Interrail app has gained a few services since the last time I checked - though fear not, I'm not actually using that to plan any of these journeys

My connection tomorrow is into a Media Distancia so fingers crossed it isn't full up (as of course, its also impossible to book online) - though I suppose its a Sunday morning in January and I only want to go to Girona on it.

According to my European Railway Timetable, those Media Distancia services actually aren't reservation obligatory. This is different from most MD. I'm not sure if I'd trust that though.

 

[rg177]

For future reference, you can always stop off at Ripoll for 30/60 minutes depending on the weather and time of day. This should allow you to stock up with a drink and snacks. There are loos at the station, however the trains are supposed to have them onboard.

https://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/horaris/index.html If you type the name into this website it should show you live times. Alternatively here https://www.adif.es/en/w/77200-ripoll?pageFromPlid=335


According to my European Railway Timetable, those Media Distancia services actually aren't reservation obligatory. This is different from most MD. I'm not sure if I'd trust that though.

Thanks - yes, I did look at jumping off there or Vic. I will probably base myself in Barcelona and do Andorra as a (long) day trip seeing as buses are more plentiful, then head up to Toulouse (and likely beyond via La Tour De Carol) at some point when it's warmer.

The lack of reservations on MD does ring a bell. In the Barcelona area its already a bit muddied (well in actuality its usually a hell of a lot easier) as there are significantly fewer services in general that require a reservation. I will of course report back on how things progress.

My ticket to Portbou also confusingly tells me it needs validating when various online sources state that this practice ended a good while ago. I'll keep an eye out for any stray validators to stamp it in - but considering that the TER Occitanie region themselves state online no stamping - I can't imagine anyone will be that bothered.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Media distancia services in Catalonia do not require reservations - in fact you can't actually make them.

 

[rg177]

Media distancia services in Catalonia do not require reservations - in fact you can't actually make them.

This would tally up with the fact that I can buy a MD ticket for just about anywhere except there on the RENFE app. I just assumed they were backwards and hadn't bothered to add any of them to the online booking systems!

I've barely used trains in Spain outside of the major cities (and a couple of AVE trips) so this is all good info to know.

 

[Starmill]

Media distancia services in Catalonia do not require reservations - in fact you can't actually make them.

It's good to know it's the Interrail Rail Planner app that's wrong on that, rather than the ERT! Cheers

 

[30907]

Off-topic, but there is a report (via Drehscheibe-Online) that IRYO will accept Interrail from April (similar reservation costs).

https://community.eurail.com/news-a...-speed-spanish-carrier-iryo-to-the-pass-19020

 

[Starmill]

Off-topic, but there is a report (via Drehscheibe-Online) that IRYO will accept Interrail from April (similar reservation costs).

https://community.eurail.com/news-a...-speed-spanish-carrier-iryo-to-the-pass-19020

It would definitely make a lot of sense long term for them to accept it at French and Spanish operations, given the market they're pitching at.

 

[James H]

Card was accepted when I went in 2022.

We did the trip in September 2023 and paid on-board by card too.

 

[rvdborgt]

It's good to know it's the Interrail Rail Planner app that's wrong on that, rather than the ERT! Cheers

Although the amount of incorrect information in the Rail planner app has decreased a bit, you should never rely on anything it says.

 

[rg177]

Well we're off to a roaring start, having made it to Escalquens (literally 15 mins from Toulouse) before grinding to a halt with a very mumbly announcement I couldn't decipher.

...Which it seems was due to a medical emergency on board In which case 15 minutes for the emergency services to turn up seems comparatively quick.

 

[D365]

Yes - I did notice that the Interrail app has gained a few services since the last time I checked - though fear not, I'm not actually using that to plan any of these journeys

It's good to know it's the Interrail Rail Planner app that's wrong on that, rather than the ERT! Cheers

Excellent news. I will bear this in mind for my next trip(s) to Spain. Notwithstanding the below…

Although the amount of incorrect information in the Rail planner app has decreased a bit, you should never rely on anything it says.

Crosschecking with seat61 and Trainplanet etc always required.

 

[HS2isgood]

MD in the Portbou line is reservation compulsory. Even though soon it'll be removed, probably in 2026. The rest aren't MD, services to Latour are R.

 

[Wagonshop]

About 20 years I spent about 4 hours at Tour de Carol quite a large station, but nothing in the station went for walk outside nothing no staff about no cafe nothing no other passengers nothing.

 

[rvdborgt]

MD in the Portbou line is reservation compulsory.

Except that it's not.

 

[signed]

but nothing in the station went for walk outside nothing no staff about no cafe nothing no other passengers nothing.

There is now a cafe-restaurant that isn't bad at all

But yeah, the station is really in the middle of nowhere

 

[Starmill]

Although the amount of incorrect information in the Rail planner app has decreased a bit, you should never rely on anything it says.

Yes, indeed. Even in Great Britain we know it's wrong on this, saying LNER requires a reservation fee to be paid when it doesn't. Quite the frustration.

At least it can now show e.g. Serbian railways or Euskotren.

 

[Peterthegreat]

MD in the Portbou line is reservation compulsory. Even though soon it'll be removed, probably in 2026. The rest aren't MD, services to Latour are R.

That is incorrect.

 

[rvdborgt]

Yes, indeed. Even in Great Britain we know it's wrong on this, saying LNER requires a reservation fee to be paid when it doesn't. Quite the frustration.

That's a combination of incorrect timetable data sent by RDG or the TOC (they claim that the trains have mandatory reservations, which therefore also shows in DB/ÖBB/SBB etc. planners), and Eurail using ACP Rail's price.

At least it can now show e.g. Serbian railways or Euskotren.

AFAIK that's because these companies could be convinced to upload their GTFS data to MERITS now that it accepts that data format. Although I'm not sure why Serbian railways are still not showing in the DB planner but Euskotren is.

 

[rg177]

Can't help but notice that I miss a Regional service to Girona by two minutes but we're merrily sitting at Cerbère for 10 Some impressively slick driving and quick turnaround at Narbonne at least meant that our entire 28 minute delay was made up by Perpignan.

We'll see how simple it is to obtain a ticket in Portbou...