Arend7
Traveller
592 comments
Posted 1 week ago
Recently, I booked a high-speed train somewhere in (western)Europe. When I arrived at the station 5 minutes before departure time, it had already left. The staff at the station claimed that in that country you had to be there 10 minutes in advance for TGVs. If everyone who was there 10 minutes before departure time is on the train, it can leave as usual, even before the official departure time. I'll make a riddle out of it. In which country do you think that was. I put this in "other regions", otherwise the question will be too easy.
MisterSteve
Traveller
916 comments
uhm, two likely candidates....
Possibly France but sticking to rules doesn't sound very French. Or possibly Spain where RENFE has a whole management team thinking up new ways to make travel more difficult....
Arend7
Traveller
592 comments
It was at Valence TGV indeed. But what is more astonishing is, is that the tickets say you have to be there 2 minutes before. But all the staff, at the station and on the train thinks obviously that it is 10 minutes. Some kind of miscommunication at SNCF.
MisterSteve
Traveller
916 comments
different people using their own rules, that sounds french.... Do you have to allow more at lunch time?
Arend7
Traveller
592 comments
I planned this train one hour earlier, than I shoud have need accordingly to the planners, for change in Lyon. Just annoying to travel with an unprofessional train company.