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Reservation, reimbursement, SNCF ticket ... What you need to know if you take the train this summer

2020-05-19T08:02:04.811Z


Exchange or cancellation conditions, limited number of seats, sanitary rules on board and in stations ... Travelers will not take the train in the same way this year.


Can I book my train ticket for the summer holidays?

SNCF reopened reservations for July and August on Friday May 15. The day before, the Prime Minister had declared that " the French will be able to leave on vacation in France in the month of July and August ", while encouraging them to already book their next stay in France. In three days, 140,000 tickets were sold for this summer, according to Alain Krakovitch, director of Voyages SNCF. Or " a volume twice as high as in the last two cumulative months ".

Despite the shortfall it suffered, the company undertook to " maintain reasonable prices, charged during confinement ". The company hopes to run 100% of its mainline trains by the beginning of the summer, while traffic has resumed very gradually since May 11.

Read also: Summer holidays: book and go to France or abroad, what you need to know

Can I exchange or cancel my ticket at no cost?

The commercial measures put in place during confinement will be maintained during the summer holidays. Until August 31, it is possible to exchange or cancel your TGV ticket inOui, Ouigo and Intercités at no cost. For TGV inOui and Intercités, the request can be made until the departure of the train on the site or the oui.sncf application. For Ouigo, it is done until 1h30 before departure on this page.

TER tickets connecting with a mainline train dated until June 24 can also be exchanged or canceled without charge. The request must be made before May 27. However, TER non-connecting tickets no longer benefit from these commercial measures.

Read also: Summer holidays: rural departments in the starting blocks

How will my trip go?

Travelers must now comply with a series of health rules. The wearing of a mask is mandatory at the station and on trains since May 11. The police or railway security can check the correct application of this measure, and verbalize up to € 135 in the event of non-compliance. Ground markings have been placed to allow social distance between the passengers on the platforms, in front of the terminals and the counters. In TGV inOui, Ouigo and Intercités, only 50% of seats are open for reservation. Thus, each traveler has two armchairs.

A special device is set up to regulate access to TER, where reservation is not compulsory. An access coupon , complementary to the ticket or subscription, is now required to travel on certain lines in five regions (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Center-Val-de-Loire, Hauts-de-France, Normandy and Occitanie), including in correspondence. Thus, if you have a Paris-Arcachon ticket comprising a first journey by TGV Paris-Bordeaux, then a second journey by TER Bordeaux-Arcachon, it is necessary to obtain a coupon for this last journey. These are available three days before departure (seven days in Occitania) on the SNCF Assistant application or on the TER site in the region. SNCF has not indicated whether this system would be extended beyond June 2, or even this summer.

Read also: Summer holidays 2020: how the French will be able to travel

Bar car, accompanying children ... Are on-board services maintained?

Most of the services offered by SNCF are suspended until further notice. This is the case for the on-board catering service, the Domicile-Train service and the Grand Voyageur lounges. The accompaniment service for Junior & Cie children is interrupted until June 14 at least. " We hope to be able to resume service beyond this date on some of the destinations at first, then on all of the Junior & Cie destinations from the summer holidays ," specifies the SNCF.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-05-19

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