kahuna613

Hi everyone-quick question about SNCF tickets. I am planning on going skiing in the Alps in February. I have a Wednesday morning flight back to the US and am intending on taking a Lunea back to Paris on Tuesday night. I have not quite yet decided where I want to ski...wavering between Portes du Soleil and Tignes.

I'm flying into Geneva...if I do PdS, I basically will spend less time traveling on the ground and should be able to catch the last shuttle directly from the airport to Morzine. That would give me an extra day of skiing effectively.

If I do Tignes, Ill have to waste my first day taking the train down to Bourg St Maurice.

There is a Lunea from Chamonix and another from Bourg St. Maurice. I believe they meet in Chambery and connect before continuing to Paris.

I would like to take advantage of the relatively cheap fares available now...if I buy a ticket from Cluses, for example, but then end up deciding to go to the BSM area, can I buy a separate ticket from BSM to Chambery and then just hop on the Lunea with my existing ticket? I'm just wondering if it is prohibited to board the train at a station stop AFTER that which is listed as the origin on the ticket?

I suppose I could buy a Lunea ticket from Chambery now and sort out getting to Chambery whenever I figure out exactly where I'll be, but it would be nice to be able to board the train and fall asleep from my actual starting point and not have to deal with connections/extra tickets.

stimpy

No, that is not a problem. You've paid for the whole trip. If you choose to get on mid-way, there is no issue. Except you might have to kick someone out of your seat if the train is full.

ofto

Its not a problem, so long as passengers in general are allowed to board at the station you want to get on at. Some night trains don't take passengers at all intermediate stops. In my experience the Luna trains are rarely full and seat reservations aren't followed.

pacer142

...except that if you had a couchette, the conductor may have resold it to another passenger.

Not the world's best idea, in my opinion.

By the way, in the UK on cheap advance tickets you are specifically not allowed to do this and it will invalidate your ticket (same if you get off early). Would check the ticket T&C to ensure this is not the case for the specific SNCF ticket you bought.

Neil

kahuna613

pacer 142-that was my concern. Do the conductors actually have a passenger manifest on hand?

The Cluses-Paris train already has the "dernieres places disponible a ce tarif" message...so I prolly oughta decide soon.

stimpy

I guess I should say that I only know the TGV and TER. I've never tried the Lunea. On the TGV or TER I know it wouldn't be a problem.

chrissxb

I once got in trouble for something similar - I stamped the ticket at a different station I was leaving from - the train staff didn't like it at all. but that happened only once - never tried it after that ...

kahuna613

Now, I'm thinking maybe I'll just buy a ticket from St. Gervais les Bain to Paris. That would enable me to ski either at Portes du Soleil or ski, say, in Verbier, and buy a separate ticket back into France. The Lunea ticket is only 32 euros, which is ridiculously cheap, given that it will save me at least 50 euros in hotel costs.

If I do end up at PdS, and I get on in Cluses instead of St. Gervais, I can't see there being a problem right? Cluses is only 20 mins from where the train starts in St. Gervais, so I doubt they will give me any trouble (or even notice where I boarded given the limited time between the two cities).

nrr

How would the conductor know if one got off early? Do they have a way of tracking a particular passengers movements?

stut

The conductor generally wouldn't, unless they were being particularly eagle-eyed. The barrier staff, however...

stimpy

Yes, the UK has barriers and they may take a close look at your ticket. France does not have barriers.

chrissxb

but they sometimes do random checks on arrival platform.

stimpy

Huh? Not in any of my 1000+ rail trips. And there is no such thing as an arrival platform in France domestic rail. People exit and enter on the same platform.

chrissxb

come to Alsace to discover new SNCF things (beside the train using the right track compared to the rest of France where they're using the left track):

had that happen to me twice at Strasbourg. at least 5 or 6 "agents le la SNCF" block the stairway and check ALL tickets from people entering and leaving the platform (which of course is the same )

stimpy

Strange, but fortunately the OP isn't going to Alsace. So he should have no such worries. Sometimes you have agents checking tickets for departures at Gare de Lyon during construction to limit people in the area. Or at certain other places where there are lots of excited kids that they want to keep away from the platform. But never on arrival.