Features

Platform: Speed to Spain

30 Jan 2014 by Alex McWhirter

Alex McWhirter has his say on the issues facing rail passengers
 

Fans of high-speed rail had their horizons widened at the end of last year. December 15 saw the inauguration of through high-speed TGV services linking Paris with Barcelona. These cut the trip to six hours 25 minutes and halved the original “classic route” travel time.

It is true that high-speed trains were already running on the new line, but because of various technical issues between the Franco-Spanish rail systems, through service had been delayed for many months.

Until December, passengers had to take a French TGV from Paris Lyon to Figueres Vilafant, on the border between France and Spain, where they then switched to a Spanish high-speed train. Not only was the procedure inconvenient but it also meant that overall journey time was extended.

At present there are two daily TGVs linking Paris Gare de Lyon with Barcelona Sants, but from the end of March the frequency will rise to four trains a day.

Does the new line benefit UK travellers? Yes, because daytime rail travel from both London and the Home Counties to Barcelona can more easily be accomplished. A traveller leaving St Pancras International with Eurostar just after 0915 will have 80 minutes to make the connection in Paris (from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon) in time for the 1407 TGV, which would arrive at Barcelona Sants at 2040.

However, Mark Smith, founder of rail fans’ website seat61.com, suggests that travellers take the earlier 0755 Eurostar from St Pancras and enjoy a leisurely lunch at Gare de Lyon’s Train Bleu restaurant.

On the return, a traveller leaving Barcelona Sants at 0920 would arrive into London at 1830 after, once again, an 80-minute connection in Paris. The other TGVs depart Paris Gare de Lyon at 0715 to arrive at Barcelona Sants at 1340, returning at 1620 to arrive in Paris at 2245.

From March 31, additional services are expected to depart Paris at 1007 and 1607, to arrive into Barcelona at 1632 and 2241. They return at 0615 and 1329, to reach Paris at 1245 and 1953.
Duplex (double-deck) TGVs operate the route and it’s recommended that passengers book a seat on the upper deck for the best views.

The new route is not just about Paris-Barcelona. One can change trains in Barcelona Sants and continue by Renfe (the Spanish national railway) high-speed train to Madrid in about three hours. Travellers may prefer to overnight in Barcelona to make the trip more manageable.

Other high-speed Franco-Spanish links were also inaugurated in December. These avoid Paris, being aimed at regional travellers. High-speed rail now connects Barcelona with Toulouse in three hours, Barcelona with Lyon in four hours 53 minutes, and Madrid to Marseille in just over seven hours.

From March 31, the rail firms intend to operate a through service linking Barcelona with Geneva, but timings have not yet been finalised.

What about making a booking? As Business Traveller has reported in the past, international rail ticketing remains behind the times. Logically, it should be possible to book London-Paris-Barcelona simply by contacting Eurostar, but Eurostar doesn’t sell tickets to any Spanish destinations.

This means that one needs to book through an agent such as loco2.com or uk.voyages-sncf.com.

The former has the advantage that you can include domestic UK rail travel to and from St Pancras and still benefit from CIV (Convention Internationale pour le Transport des Voyageurs) rules should the connection to or from London fail. 

What are the drawbacks? Although high-speed rail makes daytime travel easier, the reverse is true for overnight services. It’s gradually making sleeper trains redundant. Sadly, the Franco-Spanish Elipsos services that use the slower classic lines (see Cross The Continent, September 2013) have been withdrawn.

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