Portbou and Cerbere

[158801]

A few years ago I travelled from Girona to Cerbere.
After leaving the train in Cerbere you went through a mini customs check with French border control (although in reality everyone just walked straight through).
This year I intend to go Girona to Portbou and then Portbou to Narbonne.
However, the train from Portbou to Narbonne has a15 minute wait in Cerbere. Will everyone be expected to get off the train and go through customs. I dont speak much French so I don't want to be sat on the train not knowing what is going on

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

There's effectively no border at Portbou/Cerbere, though officialdom will be there, observing.
Trains run though in service to the "foreign" border station, and then run back to their "home" station empty.
So a train from Girona should run to Cerbere where you change for Narbonne.
I did it pre-pandemic and it was a case of running through the tunnel between the two platforms (the Girona was late) to make the connection - or wait 2 hours.
If you do spend time at either border station, the layouts (broad, standard and dual) are fascinating.
Little used these days, but there are some through freights using the transfer sidings set into the surrounding hills.
You get a really good bird's eye view of all this from the coastal road near the border, which has handy parking places to observe from.
Note also the dual-gauge track at Girona - some standard gauge freight trains can (or soon will) run through from France to terminals around Barcelona.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The situation at at Cerbere / Portbou is much improved now , however, with most SNCF services running to and from Portbou in passenger service. RENFE also run a 'local' service of sorts between the two as well. French border guards, depending on mood, will sometimes board the train with sniffer dogs and look at a few random passports, but otherwise there are no checks.