I'm a little stumped. We plan to take the TGV train from Paris to Brive in June. I realize it's too early to buy the tickets online but I took at look at schedules using earlier dates. I know that Brive is on a TGV line but the results are always on an Intercite train. What is the difference and why can't you find a TGV to Brive? Thanks to all those with better SNCF skills than moi.

Brive is not on a TGV line. PREM tickets are not only for the TGV. I believe that this site deals only with TGV lines, and Brive would not show up: http://www.idtgv.com/fr/

You will go to Brive on an Intercités Corail train from the Austerlitz station.

Just choose the train you want at www.voyages-sncf.com .

There is a TVG from Lille Europe calling at Paris CDG that continues directly to Brive.

But from central Paris you will need to take the InterCite and possibly change.

Thanks everyone for helping me figure this out.

<i>There is a TVG from Lille Europe calling at Paris CDG that continues directly to Brive.</i>

From what I can tell from the SNCF site, going from Lille to Brive, one takes the TGV to Paris and then the Intercité to Brive. There is <b>no</b> TGV to Brive, or the SNCF site is hiding that information very well.

Right - no TGV line to Brive, but you can still get PREMs.

Watch out, kerouac, I got roundly chastised on TA for using "Corail" a few days ago. Apparently it's Intercité only these days for those in the know, though the last train I took from Bordeaux to Périgueux in September clearly had Corail marked on the exterior of every car.

One direct TGV per day at 18:02 from Lille Europe to Brive every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

May not be convenient for the OP, but Brive is connected by TGV
http://www.region-limousin.fr/TGV-LG...es-lignes-pour

<i>One direct TGV per day at 18:02 from Lille Europe to Brive every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
</i>

Interesting, but definitely not convenient. How does one pick up the rental car at midnight in Brive?

Well it would seem that we will not be zipping to Brive at 300 km/hr, tant pis pour nous. But I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say "PREM".

Thanks in advance for the education.

"Prem's" are the advance purchase greatly discounted tickets that you can buy on most long distance routes. ("Prem's" is elementary schoolyard slang meaning "me first!")

@kerouac - ahh! Thanks and good to know!

Oh, Kerouac, I meant to mention, I've been using this site to research trains, http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/ which seems to show more than TGV trains. It's different from the link you supplied (but seems pretty user friendly). Am I on the wrong track? (Please excuse the pun).

Have a look at the SNCF site - it shows the trains from Paris to Brive. If you check 'Horaires' it will show you the schedules.http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ Then you can worry about tickets. There are several per day, and at least one that will allow you to get to a car rental agency.

There is NO TGV train to Brive. There are no TGV rails to Brive. The train from Gare d'Austerlitz takes 4 hours.

I live 40 minutes from Brive,and have taken the train to Paris, never being passsed by a TGV

'May not be convenient for the OP, but Brive is connected by TGV
http://www.region-limousin.fr/TGV-LG...es-lignes-pour'
Particularly not convenient as it doesnt start until 2016 if you read the article.

Back to the beginning…

The OP understood there was a TGV from Paris to Brive. Despite doubts by others there is a TGV from Lille, calling at Paris CDG to Brive.

Carlux if you read the full article the Lille-Brive TGV has run four days a week since December 2010 and runs daily in July and August. You may not have seen it because it's an infrequent service, there may not be a TGV line all the way to Brive, but this TGV train serving Brive, Paris CDG and Lille does exist.

Search for it on the sncf site; it's there in the timetable and tickets are on sale. The OP was stumped why he/she couldn't find it in the schedules. Hopefully, I've provided an explanation.