French Train Efficiency

French Train Efficiency

Today I had a nice morning, slept in, relaxed, showered, had a nice breakfast and lunch, then found my way to the Strasbourg central train station to continue my journey. My plan was to take the next train to Bordeaux and to get there some time before midnight and to enjoy the ride. I knew that I would need to ride with the TGV (Très Grande Velocité which means “Very High Speed”) and that in order to ride in those trains, you need to have a reservation. The impression that I had was that the reservation was really just a formality, something that you can do in the train station minutes before departing, and that there would inevitably be some space left. I asked when the next train would be leaving and got a schedule for the trains that would get me to Bordeaux, then went to a different office to reserve a place.
That’s where I realized it was a little bit more complicated. The first person I went to (where I spoke English) said that there were no seats left whatsoever and that I couldn’t depart today. I came back in a few minutes hoping for better luck, so I went to a different counter and spoke in French. The woman there was much more helpful. She said that she could give me a reservation for the first train tomorrow but that I could very likely get on the next direct train today if I talked to the conductor.
I did that. I first talked to the conductor’s assistant and he directed me to a machine to transfer my ticket. Then I realized that the reason I couldn’t get a reservation had nothing to do with the space left on the train, rather with the fact that I am travelling with Interrail. See, in France they decide to lose less money on the deal by only allowing a certain number of Interrail customers to reserve on each train. Apparently, when I got there the quota was full. Anyway, the conductor decided to do a good deed and undue this example of the French thinking in a profit oriented manner, so he let me on the train anyway, and as I write I am on the way towards my next stop in Bordeaux. After that I will (hopefully!) make it into Spain without any major difficulties, and I have learned my lesson about making reservations, at least within the French hexagon.