Montpellier-Zaragoza: no through ticketing

[Oxfordblues]

I was recently in Montpellier and called at the booking office in the main Saint-Roch station to buy a ticket for the next morning's 09:33 through train to Zaragoza Delicias. The clerk carefully explained that she was SNCF and the 09:33 train was RENFE, so she couldn't issue a ticket and advised me to book online instead. This I did, though the RENFE website makes no provision for my rail staff FIP-card discount, so I paid double. I was flabbergasted that the booking office at a principal French station wasn't able to sell a ticket for a train departing from that station. Has anyone had a similar experience?

 

[rvdborgt]

I was recently in Montpellier and called at the booking office in the main Saint-Roch station to buy a ticket for the next morning's 09:33 through train to Zaragoza Delicias. The clerk carefully explained that she was SNCF and the 09:33 train was RENFE, so she couldn't issue a ticket and advised me to book online instead. This I did, though the RENFE website makes no provision for my rail staff FIP-card discount, so I paid double.

According to the RDG, FIP-discounted tickets are currently bookable at the station in Spain only. International Rail might be able to book; they wrote to me last year that they might be able to do it this year.

I was flabbergasted that the booking office at a principal French station wasn't able to sell a ticket for a train departing from that station. Has anyone had a similar experience?

SNCF choose not to sell any Renfe tickets anymore.

 

[mad_rich]

Someone else may know better, but I believe there's some sort disagreement between RENFE and SNCF, which leads to stuff like this - effectively they refuse to acknowledge each other's existence.

It's a ridiculous and customer-hostile state of affairs!

The only think you can do is make as much a nuisance of yourself as possible with both companies (preferably not with their customer-facing staff)

It was great fun using Interrail on that train last year. At the time, reservations could only be booked at a RENFE ticket office - of which there are none in France. So you had to board the train with no reservation and hope the staff wouldn't fine you.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Thank you for the responses. The SNCF booking clerk at Montpellier could only issue a ticket for a local train to the border at Cerbere so I could walk to Port Bou and buy a RENFE ticket from there. What a nonsense! Can you imagine travellers from, say, London to Dumfries having to rebook at Carlisle because "we're Avanti and that train's Scotrail": unthinkable in the UK. It's certainly discriminatory to anyone who doesn't have internet access.

As compensation, for the next stage to Algeciras the RENFE booking clerk at Zaragoza Delicias* inadvertently gave me a 90% reduction having misread my FIP card, so all's well that ends well. (* not a very tasty station!)

 

[rvdborgt]

Thank you for the responses. The SNCF booking clerk at Montpellier could only issue a ticket for a local train to the border at Cerbere so I could walk to Port Bou and buy a RENFE ticket from there. What a nonsense!

And incompetence. They have direct TERs to Portbou and can also sell tickets to that station. SNCF can't sell Renfe tickets indeed, so Portbou (or Barcelona with the TGV) is as far as you get.

 

[mad_rich]

Can you imagine travellers from, say, London to Dumfries having to rebook at Carlisle because "we're Avanti and that train's Scotrail": unthinkable in the UK. It's certainly discriminatory to anyone who doesn't have internet access.

We do have that during disruption. Sure, you can take the next train to your destination but "we're Avanti and that train's Scotrail" is exactly the sort of problem you might run into if your ticket was limited to one operator - even in disruption.

As compensation, for the next stage to Algeciras the RENFE booking clerk at Zaragoza Delicias

I made the mistake of booking a 2 hour stopover there 'so I can have a quick look around the city'. I should've checked it on Google Maps first. It's the equivalent of spending 2 hours at Staples Corner. The highlights of my visit were an overpass and a drive-through McDonalds.

 

[Horizon22]

We do have that during disruption. Sure, you can take the next train to your destination but "we're Avanti and that train's Scotrail" is exactly the sort of problem you might run into if your ticket was limited to one operator - even in disruption.

That isn't the same as refusing to sell a ticket involving multiple operators.

 

[nwales58]

I made the mistake of booking a 2 hour stopover there 'so I can have a quick look around the city'.

just catch a local train to Portillo (honest!) and walk.

Edit: Wrong, see below Don't know about FIP, but Trenitalia don't sell tickets for ÖBB trains (to Slovenia at least).

 

[rvdborgt]

Don't know about FIP, but Trenitalia don't sell tickets for ÖBB trains (to Slovenia at least).

Except that they do. You can book e.g. Trieste-Ljubljana on trenitalia.com, so it should also be possible at the ticket office.

 

[Segedunum]

And incompetence. They have direct TERs to Portbou and can also sell tickets to that station. SNCF can't sell Renfe tickets indeed, so Portbou (or Barcelona with the TGV) is as far as you get.

Indeed - I was happily sold a ticket for the TER to Portbou at Toulouse Matabiau just over a month ago. Just a quick look at my ID and the clerk (who spoke fluent English) issued it with complete ease.

I don't think Cerbere to Portbou is a particularly easy walk either, so that's a positively insane suggestion to the OP.

 

[DEE-DE]

I was recently in Montpellier and called at the booking office in the main Saint-Roch station to buy a ticket for the next morning's 09:33 through train to Zaragoza Delicias. The clerk carefully explained that she was SNCF and the 09:33 train was RENFE, so she couldn't issue a ticket and advised me to book online instead. This I did, though the RENFE website makes no provision for my rail staff FIP-card discount, so I paid double. I was flabbergasted that the booking office at a principal French station wasn't able to sell a ticket for a train departing from that station. Has anyone had a similar experience?

As you already found out, booking international Renfe trains can be difficult. As far as I am aware FIP is only available from Spanish ticket offices. I am currently in Spain but on the way here I used a Black Friday offer for Marseille-Madrid (€45 in 1st class). DB can sell domestic Spanish reservations with FIP, so everything else I got from my local ticket office.

As compensation, for the next stage to Algeciras the RENFE booking clerk at Zaragoza Delicias* inadvertently gave me a 90% reduction having misread my FIP card, so all's well that ends well. (* not a very tasty station!)

Nope, there's just one tariff with Renfe domestic (and Celta to Porto) global fare trains, with coupon or card and it's ridiculously cheap. Around the price of an Interrail reservation but in Spain you also pay a small supplement for using the ticket office. It only gets expensive when you change trains/do short trips on an AVE.

 

[nwales58]

Except that they do. You can book e.g. Trieste-Ljubljana on trenitalia.com, so it should also be possible at the ticket office.

Interesting. Trieste Centrale ticket office shrugged and said something like 'austria internet' when I tried last month.

Web site does it with the silly price 0 and note about managed by another system so you'll see the price when you get to payment, as you showed.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Indeed - I was happily sold a ticket for the TER to Portbou at Toulouse Matabiau just over a month ago. Just a quick look at my ID and the clerk (who spoke fluent English) issued it with complete ease.

I don't think Cerbere to Portbou is a particularly easy walk either, so that's a positively insane suggestion to the OP.

It is a spectacular mountain road (with no alternative) between Cerbère and Portbou so walking would be a major challenge to say the least! Hence the railway tunnel at this point. There is a now a reasonable 'local' service for which you can buy tickets at either end. In the recent past there was the ludicrous situation of SNCF trains running to Portbou, but empty stock back to Cerbère and RENFE trains running to Cerbère but empty stock back to Portbou!

 

[signed]

but I believe there's some sort disagreement between RENFE and SNCF

The relations between Renfe and SNCF are basically none and it's a standoff because of SNCF opening Ouigo spain

 

[Segedunum]

It is a spectacular mountain road (with no alternative) between Cerbère and Portbou so walking would be a major challenge to say the least! Hence the railway tunnel at this point. There is a now a reasonable 'local' service for which you can buy tickets at either end. In the recent past there was the ludicrous situation of SNCF trains running to Portbou, but empty stock back to Cerbère and RENFE trains running to Cerbère but empty stock back to Portbou!

However I've found that the local services to Portbou will randomly sit around at Cerbère for just enough time that you miss the connection onwards (as the timetable dictates). You do wonder whether this was baked in for immigration checks or if it was done just for the sheer hell of it to be awkward.

 

[rvdborgt]

Interesting. Trieste Centrale ticket office shrugged and said something like 'austria internet' when I tried last month.

I don't exclude the possibility that it's only possible online but this sounds rather like they couldn't be bothered.

 

[reb0118]

I could be wrong but I believe FIP tickets are available on board RENFE services in France from the conductor.

 

[iknowyeah]

I am currently booking a trip to Spain using FIP, Ffestiniog have confirmed they can book the domestic RENFE services, but not the AVE from Lyon to Barcelona. Which is a bit of a spanner because this is the only realistic option on the date I'm travelling

 

[rvdborgt]

I am currently booking a trip to Spain using FIP, Ffestiniog have confirmed they can book the domestic RENFE services, but not the AVE from Lyon to Barcelona. Which is a bit of a spanner because this is the only realistic option on the date I'm travelling

Have you asked International Rail? You can e-mail to sales@internationalrail.com.

 

[iknowyeah]

Have you asked International Rail? You can e-mail to sales@internationalrail.com.

I'll try that now, thank you!