TGV - French High Speed Trains

TGV - Train à Grande Vitesse or "French TGV high-speed train" is France's high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the national rail operator.

Speed from city to city on the TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse). The fastest European train service, TGV trains run at speeds of up to 320kph (200 mph) connecting all of France’s major towns and cities.

Since its launch in 1981, 2 billion passengers have travelled by high speed TGV and it’s not hard to see why. Daily services connect cities and towns through France. From the vineyards of Bordeaux and Dijon, to historic cities like Avignon and Tours, or the picturesque scenery of the Cote d’Azur or the Alps, with reliable, frequent and comfortable services, taking the TGV is the best way to travel in France and beyond.

COMFORT AND SERVICES

On board The seats on board TGV trains have been specifically designed with the passengers’ comfort in mind. Reclining seats with headrests, footrests, pull-down table and individual reading lamp are standard throughout the train and those travelling in first class also have access to power sockets so that they can plug in a computer or charge a mobile phone whilst on the move.

Bar-buffet

The menu in the bar-buffet is changed frequently but the main offering remains the same with a good selection of balanced and varied hot meals, meal deals and a large selection of drinks. Vending machines selling hot and cold drinks, snacks and sweets are also available on most trains.

Office Areas

Two office areas are available for use on board TGV trains whose interiors were designed by Christian Lacroix. These areas are situated in 2nd class, in the space between two carriages and they are perfect if two or three people travelling together wish to prepare for or hold a meeting.

Family/Nursery Spaces

The Family space consists of four seats facing each other and these are separated from the rest of the carriage by a glass screen. The positions of the seats and central table can be adjusted slightly to give more space and the pull-down tables in the seats become game boards, perfect for keeping children occupied during the journey. What better way to help children enjoy their journey by train! The nursery area is located next to the Family Space and is equipped with a changing table and a bottle warmer

Facilities for passengers with reduced mobility

A dedicated space is available in 1st class for wheelchair-bound passengers. Although situated in 1st class, the passengers and their companion only pay for a 2nd class ticket.

FARE OPTIONS FOR ALL!

There are three pricing categories available for those travelling on TGV trains:

• TGV Leisure With Leisure fares, people of all ages can benefit from a ticket that’s exchangeable and refundable up to the day before departure, at a great price.
• TGV Prem’s From 90 days before departure up to just before travel, the Prem’s fare range allows those looking for a great deal to purchase their tickets at very reasonable prices. Available all year round, these fares are subject to availability and are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
• TGV Pro The TGV Pro fares are aimed at business travellers and combine efficiency, comfort and flexibility (better exchange and refund conditions) with à la carte services (‘Pro Space’ in 1st class, Taxi Reservation service, meals are payable and only on selected routes).

Discount railcards

With the SNCF discount card range including the Jeune, Week-End, Senior+ cards, your customer can buy tickets with at least a 25% reduction guaranteed, even at the last minute.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Make sure your customer is made aware of the à la carte services available before, during and after his or her journey, to help things run more smoothly:

Acces Plus

Acces Plus is a free reception service at the station and escort to the train for people with reduced mobility. Book the service Accès Plus at the Service Accès Plus Centre, and at least 48h before the departure of the train.

Train + Bicycle

Customers have two options:

• Either pay 10€ and benefit from the «espace vélo» in certain TGV carriages,
• Or they can take their bicycle in a bike bag (which must be no bigger than 120x90cm).

Train Name

TGV - France High Speed Train

Description

High-speed train operating at speeds of up to 350km/h, linking over 70 main cities in France

IMPORTANT - TGV have Self Stamping Ticket Machines/Composting machines:

It is obligatory to stamp your train ticket in one of the yellow self stamping/composting machines in the station prior to boarding the train.

Train Code:

Reservations

Compulsory.

Booking Horizon

3 months.

Timetables and Prices

Please bear in mind there are 100s of TGV trains per day. Below is a sample

Journey times are approximate and may vary. Please check all train times when you book. Prices are per person based on the cheapest available return adult standard class fare at time of making this chart. Prices can change by 10% because tickets original price is in Euro's. ''Think Euro's when buying TGV train tickets''

Accommodation

TGV Pro (Business), TGV Pro Premiere (First Class), First Class and Standard Class seats.

TGV Pro (Business) customers can benefit from

Aimed at the Business traveller, customers can benefit from: Flexible tickets, dedicated ticket desks at the station and welcome service at the platform from Monday-Friday, access to Grand Voyageur lounges on presentation of a valid ticket in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon Part-Dieu, Rennes, Strasbourg, Nantes, Marseille and Lille Flandres. Free newspapers & magazines, drinks and WiFi in the lounges, as well as free WiFi at stations.

• Dedicated carriages called Espace Pro available on popular routes between Paris and Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lyon Part Dieu, Montpellier and Marseille.
• Dedicated Espace Pro carriages can be found in coaches 1/11 on single decker TGVs, upper decks in coaches 1/11 and 2/12
• Dedicated Espace Pro carriages can be found on TGV Duplex and upper decks in coaches 1/11, 2/12, 3/13 on TGV Duplex trains to/from Lyon.

TGV Pro Premiere (First class) customers can benefit from

• Welcome drink and snack on board
• Payable cold meal at seat (payable on board) available Monday-Friday (excludes bank holidays) on services departing between 6am-8am, 11am-12noon and 7pm-8pm.
• Assistance packs available at seat (Stain removing kit, phone charger, sleeping kit)
• Complimentary magazines and newspapers
• Taxis reserved on board

Please note that Espace Pro is subject to availability and is not always guaranteed for passengers travelling with a TGV Pro ticket. When this area is available, "Espace Pro 1ere" will be printed on the ticket.

TGV First Class customers can benefit from

All services available in Standard class

Power points (220V)

Possibility to book a seat facing forward on TGE and TGS trains.

Comfortable and spacious seats

TGV Standard Class customers can benefit from

Bar-buffet car where customers can purchase drinks and hot or cold meals.

Vending machines (drinks and snacks)

Dedicated exchange machines at the station.

Dedicated areas, such as Family Space, Nursery, Office space and bicycle space are all located in Standard class.

Standard class Pro customers can benefit from

• Welcome service on the 7 TGV destinations (above) at the platform from Monday-Friday

Group Travel

A Group of Adults = A group must consist of at least 10 paying adults.

If there are any additional children in this group then 2 children equals 1 adult.

Children and Youths Children pay half the Adult fare.

Children under 4 travel for free if separate seat/berth is not required.

Disabled Facilities

Wheelchair and Companion space in First class (usually 4 spaces in Coaches 1 and 11).

Wheelchairs with small dimensions are available to use onboard - to be requested once onboard.

Button to call controller if necessary.

Disabled toilet located next to Wheelchair space.

Manual and electric wheelchairs are accepted on board provided their dimensions do not exceed 125x75cm.

Wi-Fi

Box TGV (multimedia Internet portal) is available on 52 TGV Est services.

• Passengers must be in possesion of a PC, Mac or Smartphone in order to connect to Wi-Fi.
• Box TGV offers a range of services, including films, documentaries, concerts, city guides and games.
• This is a payable service.
• Pre-paid vouchers can be bought from the bar buffet.

Smoking

All TGV trains are entirely non-smoking.

Luggage

2 bags/suitcases per passenger plus 1 piece of hand luggage.

Luggage spaces for larger pieces of luggage, e.g. bike bags, skis, collapsible pushchairs, surf boards (in a case not exceeding more than 3m in length - the board may have to be placed diagonally in the baggage rack, depending on the length of the surfboard) are situated at the end of each carriage.

All luggage must be labelled.

Bicycles

Some TGVs accept fully assembled bicycles.

The cost of a bicycle space is around £10 and must be reserved at the time of booking.

There are usually 4 bicycle spaces in Standard class on a TGV, located in coaches 8 and/or 18.

Alternatively, bicycles may be carried free of charge in a bike bag whose dimensions do not exceed 120x90cm.

This counts as one piece of luggage.

Domestic Animals

Domestic animals are permitted onboard TGVs provided other passengers do not object.

• Dogs must be muzzled and on a lead.
• Small domestic animals must be carried in a pet carrier (with dimensions no greater than 45x30x25cm and no heavier than 6kg).
• Guide dogs travel for free and do not require a ticket.
• . Maximum of 2 dogs or 2 pet carriers or 1 dog and 1 pet carrier per passenger

Family space and nursery

On some TGVs there is a Family space and Nursery in Standard class.

The family seating area consists of 4 seats around a foldable table with a games board.

Games pieces can be bought from the bar-buffet.

The nursery area is located within close proximity of the Family space.

Toilets and Baby Changing Facilities

Toilets are located at the end of each carriage.

All trains have both ladies and gentlemen's toilets.

Office Space

On TGV EST services there is an Office space, located in carriages 5/15 and 7/17 in Standard class.

This space cannot be reserved prior to departure, it is available on a first come, first serve basis.

This area has power sockets so passengers can use their laptops or charge a mobile phone.

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