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How to board French SNCF TER train with no train number

K

kajko

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
April 2023
I'm taking the SNCF TGV INOUI 8585 from Lourdes to Dax at 17:00 tomorrow (4/9), then the SNCF TER 866433 from Dax to Bayonne, then the SNCF TER 867331 from Bayonne to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. All booked via Trainline. I read I should be looking for the train number at the stations to find the correct platform etc., and given the current strikes, I've been checking the status on www.sncf.com/en/booking-itinerary/search-train-number. All of a sudden, I noticed that searching for 866433 and selecting Dax now shows "Train TER NA" vs a train number for most TER routes. The attached example is randomly selected. Not sure what to make of this, will the train number still be displayed at the station so I know where to go? Thanks in advance


 
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Also, what do the F51 and L52 labels indicate in the screenshot above?
 
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kajko said:
Also, what do the F51 and L52 labels indicate in the screenshot above?
Click to expand...
Hi @kajko, the number denotes the line: 51 is Bordeaux-Hendaye, 52 is Bordeaux-Pau-Tarbes, 54 is Bayonne-SJPP. I don’t know what the letter in front of the number and the colour mean but it is not important for travellers.

I don‘t know why it says TER NA and not TER followed by a 6-digit number - as you said already, TER NA does not allow you to look up the platform number online, at least not at this moment in time. Again, it is not terribly important for finding your platform as you will have enough time for changing trains both in Dax and in Bayonne tomorrow.

Both Bordeaux and even more so Bayonne are not very large stations. Look at the announcement boards for departures and arrivals: a very large board in the main hall and often smaller boards on the platform where you arrive. Just look for the departure time of your next train and for its main destination like for Dax / Paris in Lourdes station; for Bayonne / Hendaye when you change trains in Dax; and finally for SJPP in Bayonne station. You immediately see the platform number. It is very easy as you will see. Bon voyage and buen Camino.
 
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I don’t know what the letter in front of the number and the colour mean but it is not important for travellers.
Click to expand...
Ah, found it. Of course, pilgrims must not worry, should just go, don’t need to know … but some pilgrims are more curious than others . So, the letter in front of the number of the train line and the colour denote 3 different categories of train connections, namely trains that stop at all stations (L); frequent trains that connect city centres and their surrounding regions (F); and fast trains that connect two large cities (D).

 
Good morning, @kajko! After having looked at your comment and the online webpages of SNCF again, I tend to think that actually nothing has changed and your screenshot shows the details for trains as it always does.

When you want to see the platform (“voie”) and the TER train number you can select the webpage of a station’s real-time departure and arrival board. The number of the platform appears often only when it is closer to departure time, for example 30 minutes before departure, but it depends. The general address is https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/fr/gares-services, then enter the name of the station. By way of an example, I‘ll post a screenshot for Dax later.
 
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screenshot for Dax
Click to expand...
And here we are, this is the information that you would see on the arrivals/departures board if you were at Dax train station at this very moment. Voie = platform, and 866451 is the number of the TER train from Dax to Bayonne and Hendaye, departing at 9:41 from platform number 1.

 
kajko,

Please relax. Both the Dax and Bayonne rr stations are small and easily navigable; the staffs are helpful and serve multitudes of tourists and pilgrims each year.

Show your ticket to any station employee for help. If all seems impossible go to the station master's office/ bureau du chef de gare, for assistance.

Good luck and Bon voyage!
 
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Btw, I checked the same webpage as you did yesterday. As we are now closer to departure time for these trains the platform numbers have now appeared for the first two trains in these screenshots and they will appear in due course for the later trains on this Easter Sunday afternoon. All is well, online and at the SNCF stations in Lourdes, Dax and Bayonne.

 
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