Many travelers do not have the chance to take TGVs as on the transverse connections in France. We tested the SNCF first Intercity journey between Bordeaux and Narbonne…
AT THE BORDEAUX-NARBONNE INTERCITES TRAIN STATION: Bordeaux station is magnificent with its majestic facade. In the hall, a large map painted on the wall makes you want to travel with the old SNCF network and the boat links from Bordeaux when Bordeaux was still a major passenger port. I arrived a little early to buy a salad and a coffee. My train left platform 11: you should allow around 5 to 10 minutes to walk to the platform quite far from the central hall.
BOARDING – INTERCITES BORDEAUX-NARBONNE TRAIN: the train was at the platform when I arrived.
The central aisle is very spacious and there is plenty of storage space for suitcases. I feel much less cramped than in the current TGVs. Despite the few people boarding, the car was almost full at the time of departure. The Corail trains put into service from 1975 allowed the SNCF to make a leap forward in terms of quality. A quality that still remains relevant today as we will see particularly in these Première cars.
THE TRAIN AND ON-BOARD SERVICES-INTERCITED TRAIN BORDEAUX-NARBONNE : the train left on time and I was amazed at the silence and comfort of these cars. The bogies of the cars provide a smooth rolling train by attenuating all shocks. These Y32 bogies have been specially developed for Corail cars.
We want to take a nap because we feel so good. The yellow of the car, on the other hand, has aged a little. THERE are two toilets in the car. The seat which was designed by Roger Tallon is very comfortable with its soft seat, its two large armrests, its working electrical outlet with a space above to place your coffee cup and a large tray for working as well as a reading light.
On the car wall, diamond-shaped lights give a little retro design feel to the car.
On the front backrest there is also a removable mini shelf at the top of the seat for storing newspapers/books.
About 1 hour after departure I was surprised to see a steward offering a service instead: coffee, tea sandwiches…
The steward served me a coffee with the mini machine installed on his mobile counter: it was quite good. The rest of the time I was able to work while admiring the particularly beautiful journey with its different landscapes: we follow the evolution of the vegetation, green and dense on the Atlantic side and drier as we approach the Mediterranean. The train also sometimes runs along the Canal du Midi throughout its journey, which generally lasts 3 hours 35 minutes. The train arrived 5 minutes late even though I had a connection 8 minutes later. Fortunately the TER to go to Perpignan waited for us. My car was located at the end of the train and I had to run to join the TER going from Narbonne to Perpignan starting from another track.
VERDICT: despite the slight stress of arrival, the service offered at first was of excellent quality. I particularly appreciated the comfort of the seat, the space in the car, the numerous luggage storage areas, the large bay windows and the seat service, a real plus on this line. As is often the case, the train arrived late: the SNCF really needed to make an effort to better manage its network because this generates unnecessary stress for travelers.
