paulg1

hi

I have booked an idtgv train on 7 sept at 11.20am. from paris to montpellier.I need to change at montpellier for a TER to agde. I have noticed there are 2 trains leaving the gare du lyon at exactly 11.20am. my train idtgv 7929 and another tgv 6209. the tgv 6209 travels onwards to agde. I suspect that the 2 trains are linked together. Does anyone know that if i purchase a second ticket(from montpellier to agde) i would be ok to stay on my idtgv. Or else i would have 3 minutes to leave and jump on the ordinary tgv. Hope that makes sense.

Christina

I don't quite follow you. There is a TGV that goes all the way from Paris to Agde. Your idtgv is just a number for that train under that special marketing system called idtgv (which refers to service levels on TGV trains, as far as I know, but it's still a TGV).

You would not transfer to a TER train to get to agde in that timeframe. There are TGVs, TERs and Corails between Montpellier to Agde, but when I looked at the schedule, there isn't any TER around that time from Montpellier to Agde so you couldn't do that. Not sure where you saw a TER from Montpellier to Agde at that time, I looked on SNCF's schedules.

To me, it looks like there is simply one train, that TGV, which stops in Montpellier and goes on to Agde. I think it's the same train, whether you book it as one TGV run or the idTGV and extra TGV ticket from Montpellier to Agde -- you'd have to figure out the fare difference and if that made sense. You can get discounts in advance for that TGV ticket in total.

The TER to Agde leaves at 2:30 whereas the TGV arrives later than that, around 2:46, so I don't think there is any way you can take that TER, so you'd have to buy the extra ticket on the TGV, which would be the same train you were on.

At least that's the way it looks to me. I think if you bought a second ticket for Montpellier to Agde, leaving at 2:50, you'd stay on the same train. I don't see any way you can do it by transferring to a TER. At least that's the way it looks to me, but I haven't taken that train.


I don't understand what you mean about leaving and having 3 minutes to jump on a TGV, from the TGV.

TimS

I will venture a guess--but take note that it is only a guess. Since you can only book the the iDTGV as far as Montpellier, perhaps the iDTGV cars are disconnected at Montpellier while the rest of the train goes on to Agde. If that is true, then all you would need to do is walk through the train to the right car for the ticket you buy for Montpellier-Agde.

kerouac

Yes, 3 minutes is plenty since it is the same train.

ID-TGV trains are just some additional TGV cars attached to a normal TGV and marketed differently.

paulg1

Hi Christina, Tims and Kerouac. Thanks for your reply. I’m actually travelling to Marseillan-Plage on the 7 September. I was originally thinking of catching the TER at 18.15, which would take me straight there, but I would have to wait around 3 and a half hours. Now I have the idea of staying on the train at Montpellier, get off at Agde and catch the Agde to Marseillan-Plage at 16.59, therefore I would arrive a good deal earlier. So if the 2 trains TGV 6209 and IDTGV 7929 are linked together at Gare du Lyon I should not have any problem, I think. I have already bought my ticket to Montpellier and I am thinking of buying a TGV ticket from Montpellier to Agde which leaves at 14.50. You need to reserve a seat on that train therefore I would need to transfer from the IDTGV to the TGV. I would have to get off as it is not possible to walk through. I’m just posting this in case anyone can see any pitfalls. Years ago, before I had the internet I made a monumental mistake and travelled almost 100 miles from where I should have got off. Thanks for taking the time to read this posting