We are currently holding two pair of TGV tickets. They are PREMS which I purchased on line and printed out at home.

One pair is for a departure from Montparnasse to Bordeaux; the other is for a return trip about a week later.

Both pair has the usual date and time and the train number.

On looking at the timetable on the Voyages-SNCF website for the particular days and times involved I notice (now) that neither of these particular train numbers are currently listed as "available."

However, in both cases, departures at the exact same deparure and arrival times (both ways) ARE listed as available.

My question is can there actually be two departures at the same time, same schedule, by two differently-numbered trains?

Are there two diffferently-numbered <b>sections</b> (perhaps coupled together) running simultaneously?

Any information is, as always, greatly appreciated and TIA.

It's possible they are conjoined trains, with one part that will be detached along the way (though that's never happened to me in many many trips from Paris to Bordeaux).

It's more likely, IME, that they just changed the number of the train and your tickets will be just as good on that newly numbered train.

I'd certainly give myself a few extra minutes at the station to check with a conductor or at the guichet, though.

St. Cirq, thanks for that information.

I thought perhaps it might be a wise thing to do to check when we get to the station just in case.

Your insight is much appreciated.

Same thing happened to me two years ago - and there were a few panicked people running around, but the conductors just looked at our tickets and let us on the train. We did not have assigned seating, though, so it was a bit ocnfusing.

I'd also check again just before you depart - they might change the numbers back again.

Yes, thanks.

My big concern is that we do have assigned seats. I don't even want to contemplate having the same seats as someone else and trying to get through something like that with 45-year-old (i.e., basically nonexistent) French!