Bob Brown

The message came dressed as an empty posting. But to assume what you were asking, I can tell you about the TGV. <BR>It is the high speed train that serves many places in France. We took it from Gare de Lyon to Lausanne, Switzerland. <BR>Usually, you MUST have a seat reservation and purchase the ticket in advance to make sure you can get on and ride. It was a very swift ride and comfortable. <BR>I don't know what the TER is. There is an RER that I describe as a commuter rail network. We took the RER to Versailles. Many RER stations are co-located with Metro stations, but the ticketing is separate. <BR>The regular trains are part of the national system - the SNCF. I found them to be punctual and swift. We rode the regular train from Gare St. Lazare to Vernon visit Giverny. <BR>There also banlieu lines, which I would describe as local trains that make frequent stops. The Grand Lignes trains are what I used to call an express or a through train. <BR>You can buy your ticket over the computer or at a window. One thing you must do, however,is cancel your ticket at a machine before getting on. You do not get on uncancelled and wait for the conductor to punch your ticket. If one of those officials comes around, he or she is often checking for violations. <BR>