The answer to any question about whether a train is always on time has to be "No".

However, the more important question is why you are going from Nice to Paris in order to catch a night train from Paris to Rome. Can you not go by a more direct route?

What am I missing here? Why would go to Paris to go to Rome? Makes absolutely no sense. Have you looked at a map? You are going hours out of your way. Have you consider an open jaw ticket and going home from Paris?

Of course not. Nothing is ALWAYS on time. I've taken at least 100 TVG rides and about 95 % were on time. But you can't predict if a cow's going to wander onto the tracks just south of Tours or if someone in First Classs is going to have a heart attack outside Libourne and need to be evacuated, can you?

I also don't understand your strange routing.

I've been delayed twice-not on TGV-but other fast trains due to suicide by train. Once I was delayed due to children playing on the tracks down the line. TGV will probably be on time unless there is an unexpected incident. Two hours should be plenty of time. Again, you are going to Paris to get to Rome?

I've had a couple TGVs be late departing, one by an hour, I think, although not that route. I don't know the route matters that much, I never found out what the incident was or why (it was not a strike).

So of course nothing is 100 pct on time in the transportation business.

Sigh...I know the route is weird.

I'm kind of new to all this so when I first started booking this particular leg of the trip, I tried to find Nice-Rome. Multiple websites told me it was too many stops/that route didn't exist. So I went with the long way back to Paris first.

Later I realized I could have gone Nice-Milan-Rome and not take a night train, but it's already all booked and would cost a fortune to change now.

At least we get to save money on not needing another night in a hotel. I got a double sleeper, our only one of the trip, so I'm actually excited to try that out.

Now you guys made me nervous about making that connection though...I have 2 hours in between so fingers crossed! If something does happen and I miss the night train, what happens? Do I get to go on another one for free? I don't even know if there's even another train that leaves later but it would really screw up our plans if we miss the connection .

If they put me on another train I better still get my double sleeper.

normally if you miss a train, you are out that money, if it's a train with a reservation, which all TGVs are. Lots of local trains don't have reserved seats, so the tickets can be used on any train similar.

I'll admit I don't know the rules if you are late due to the TGV running late and you gave yourself enough time normally for the connection, and if you gave yourself 2 hrs, that is plenty (if it's the same train station, anyway, that is more than enough). I suspect if it is their fault, you would get another seat or berth free, but don't know for sure. But if they do, you cannot necessarily get the same accommodations if they don't have any available.

I really wouldn't worry about it, that doesn't do any good, and TGVs are not routinely late, it is definitely not the norm. They are usually very close to departing right on time.

Worry does no good, you know what Montaigne the French philospher said: My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.

In other words, most of the things we worry about are a waste of our time and it isn't productive to spend your mental energy that way.

Thank you Christina, great life advice

They are not the same train station (Bercy and Gare de Lyon), but I heard they are close together.

Yeah two hours is a lot of time and I wouldn't worry as long as they are USUALLY on time. Just to be safe though, there is a train departing an hour earlier. I'm wondering if I can exchange my ticket for that reservation on the spot (I booked through Rail Europe and don't want to go through their complicated exchange process).

Thanks

Those stations are right next to each other, there is probably an underground walkway between them, but I don't remember as I've only used Lyon railstation. IN any case, that will take you a little bit longer to get to the other train than if they were in the same station.

If you have nothing else to do with your time that evening, you might as well get there an hour earlier (but really it will be boring hanging around the rail station). You'd have to ask them if you can exchange it for free.

I'm seeing non-stop 1hr flights from Nice to Rome FCO for as low as 20 euros on blu express airline. Searching a random date a few weeks out I found a 1 way flight for mid May for 55 euros.

For that price I'd forget the long rail trip and just fly even if I had to eat the price of the train.
www.blu-express.com.