Another TGV Question

Hello,

I%26#39;m trying to book a TGV train from St Pierre des Corps to Paris on www.tgv-europe.com However, the website only gives me the option of leaving from the main Tours station but not from SPDC. If I use www.raileurope.com I%26#39;m able to leave directly from SPDC but the prices are quite a bit more than through tgv-europe.

I really want to use www.tgv-europe.com because of the better price. Is there something I%26#39;m not doing correctly to start from SPDC?

Thanks again.

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When asking questions about train travel, please include the date and time of your desired travel so your search information can be confirmed.

When I check tgv-europ.com I see departures from both Tours Centres and St. Pierre des Corps however, not knowing the date and time you need, I cannot duplicate your results.

I don%26#39;t understand why you need St. Pierre as one could almost walk between the two stations.

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Hello,

Thanks for the help.

I %26#39;m looking for a train on Saturday, May 23, 2009 between 9 and 11 AM. When I try to book it shows all departures leaving the Tours station, with most of them then having a few minutes layover in SPDC where a connection is made to a different train for the route to Paris. I thought about purchasing one of those and foregoing the Tours to SPDC portion to just catch the connecting train at SPDC but I%26#39;m not sure how the system works and if that would be allowed.

The reason I%26#39;d like to leave from SPDC is because I%26#39;ll be dropping a Europcar rental vehicle off at that station.

Thanks again.

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OK, there is no Europcar at Tours so I understand the St. Pierre des Corps requirement.

Note that there are two arrival points in Paris; the TGVs arrive Montparnasse and the older trains arrive Austerlitz taking almost an hour longer (depending upon the train). Book which ever you like and board where you like but most tickets are train specific.

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There is nothing to stop you starting your journey at St Pierre-des-Corps using a ticket from Tours Centre and you would be losing very little in doing so. The important thing is to catch the right TGV. Just remember to date stamp your ticket before boarding.

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So, there would be no problem date stamping my ticket at SPDC even though my trip was supposed to start at the main Tours station? Is that correct?

Thanks again. I really appreciate the time people are taking to answer my rookie questions.

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%26lt;%26lt;there would be no problem date stamping my ticket at SPDC even though my trip was supposed to start at the main Tours station? Is that correct?%26gt;%26gt;

I should think not. If you are lucky enough to find a PREM fare, the tickets for which are self printed, there is no need to validate these at all according to the SNCF website.

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Some TGV trains do actually start from Tours Centre, which is a terminus. They then travel the mile or so to St Pierre des Corps, where they stop to pick up passengers, and then continue along the main line from St Pierre des Corps to either Paris Montparnasse or further on to Lille.

The majority of TGVs however start further south, for instance at Bordeaux, and stop at St Pierre des Corps (but not Tours Centre). A few minutes beforehand a two coach shuttle train (Navette in French) leaves Tours Centre to make the short journey to St Pierre des Corps to enable passangers from Tours Centre to catch the TGV.

These navettes are free if you have already booked the TGV. They are not shown as a separate train on timetables or tickets. You cannot buy a ticket for just the navette, and there are no ticket controls on the navettes.

So, it really does not make any difference whether your TGV ticket to Paris is from Tours or St Pierre des Corps. Go for whatever is cheaper.

Do make certain however that both options you are looking at are TGV trains into Paris Montparnasse. There are also trains from Tours Centre into Paris Austerlitz, which are much slower, take longer, but are cheaper.

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I eventually realized, as you said, that the trip from Tours centre to SPDC was just a shuttle service. I purchased my tickets and will be traveling by the faster route to Montparnasse.

Thanks to everyone who helped me.