Le petit train jaune / The little yellow train from France to Barcelona

There's some confusion here.

The Yellow Train (train jaune) runs between Villefranche and Latour. You can do Perpignan - Villefranche by regular TER or bus depending on times.

Toulouse - Latour - Barcelona is a very nice journey across the Pyrénées but it's not the yellow train. In Latour you board a Spanish suburban train or Rodalies (Barcelona itself is hours away but that's the name).

Hope my little map helps a bit. The yellow bit corresponds to the yellow train. Also be aware of engineering works/closures: they're frequent a la SNCF and a la RENFE.

Latour is located at the western end of the yellow train.

About tickets: the 10€ fare is limited and only offered on less busy trains. Book in advance. Otherwise expect to pay 22.80€ for a Découverte Senior ticket (pretty much always available) or 30.40€ in the worst case -> fixed normal price.

By starting in Perpignan yellow train + Barcelona is possible. However as you'll see the timetable isn't good… looking at a random September weekday:

- TER Perpignan - Ille-sur-Tet 06:58 - 07:20

- Bus Ille-sur-Tet - Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains 07:25 - 08:08

- time for breakfast

- Train jaune Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains - Latour-de-Carol 10:02 - 13:11

- R3 Latour-de-Carol* - Barcelona-Sants 13:30 - 16:54

The connection in Latour isn't guaranteed (both RENFE and SNCF like to cancel their trains without informing the other one...). I've heard multiple people having to take a taxi across the border -> at least paid by Rodalies/RENFE...

*Shown as La Tor de Querol in the Catalonian website!

On the yellow train, there should be an open car without roof. Does anybody know, until when in the season, this car is part of the train? We will likely go with the yellow train in End of October or beginning of November...

thiccabe wrote:

There's some confusion here

 

… and I’m still very confused!  (BTW, this journey to Barcelona needs to start in Carcassonne.)

What I have only now come to understand is that Latour de Carol serves both Toulouse and Barcelona, so that it seems a trip specifically between these two cities would not ordinarily involve the LYT route at all!

I am not stuck on the idea of starting at Toulouse if there is a doable alternative. It might be a nice way to see the Pyrenees, and perhaps would satisfy my touristic needs, but is it not possible for me to include the LYT? Would this only work by starting at Perpignan, which you tell me is difficult, or by adding a return journey Latour-Villefranche, which does not seem possible in a day?

If there is a solution, can you possibly send me a schedule?

I apologise for all these questions, and thank you sincerely for your trouble.

Ah you didn't mention Carcassonne previously!

There's no way to include le train jaune unless you start in Perpignan or even better in Villefranche. Perhaps you can do it on the way back...

Otherwise Toulouse - Latour de Carol - Barcelona is still pretty scenic!

I think we’re down to the nitty-gritty now!  Starting my journey at Carcassonne (where I will be staying the night) doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Is Perpignan-Villefranche out of the question? What do you mean by starting in Villefranche? My question is, how to get there?

Here are a couple more thoughts:

• Toulouse - Latour de Carol - Barcelona as you say, plus the idea of crossing the border into Spain (to where?) on foot. Somewhere I read that that is possible.
• Make a limited return journey from LdC in the direction of Villefranche. The first train departs at 15:35 and the last train to Barcelona at 19:00. How does that look?

What I meant: you can't do Carcassonne - le train jaune - Barcelona in a day. Not possible with the timetables.

To make the 10am yellow train out of Villefranche either you start your day in Perpignan and take the 06:58 train towards Ille-sur-Tet/Villefranche or for a more relaxed start you spend the night in Villefranche.

Toulouse - LdC - Barcelona: you could walk from Latour to Puigcerda but I'd only do it if the Spanish train is cancelled between both stations.

LdC - Villefranche return: it's not really possible, please look at timetables again.

- Latour - Villefranche 08:21 - 11:26

- Villefranche - Latour 17:40 - 20:51

By that time the last Barcelona train is long gone.

I think I’ve finally got my head around all the details and am going to do the easy thing, just Toulouse-Latour-Barcelona. It will be a nice way to start my tour of Spain and I thank you for all your help.

May I still ask whether it’s OK for me simply to buy my tickets on the day at Toulouse and Latour respectively, rather than book them?

It's possible to buy Toulouse - Latour at the station but you might not get the senior discounts.

You can't book Latour - Barcelona online anyway. Since the station is operated by SNCF they (obviously...) won't sell Spanish tickets. So the conductor walks down the train and you can pay by cash or card (the latter depending on the network).

Thank you!  But I do have a SNCF Senior Card

Two more questions, please.

If I go the Latour route, can I trust the connection 16:26 arrival from Toulouse, dep. Latour 16:30 ??

If I have to renounce the touristic option, I have a train from Port Bou to Barcelona, R15814. Despite the “R” there is no statement of obligatory reservation. What is the reservation status?

The 4 min connection is very risky, if not impossible. Both companies won’t be helpful nor wait for each other. I’d much rather take the earlier TER from Toulouse with 58 min wait in Latour.

R means regional. Fortunately suburban/regional trains in that part of Spain don’t need reservations.

Yes, I won’t take that chance!  But unfortunately I cannot find a train arriving at Latour at the time you say, on any platform! Can you help me?

R = Relief, thank you!

It would be the morning TER with the Rodalies leaving at 13:30.

Thank you. That will be perfect and I can make it work for me next week,

Another year, another chance…

I wasn’t able to make this trip last year and am now determined to do so in March or April. I now understand the timetable to be as follows:

Tououse Metablau          09:47
La Tor de Querol             12:32
dep.                                 13:30
Barcelona                       16;:54

With renewed thanks to thibcabe, much looking forward to it!

Brian (87)

Speaking of the Petit train jaune, the scenic mountain part with the viaducts etc is mostly the eastern half between Villefranche and Font-Romeu-Odeillo. West of Odeillo the line runs in a flatter landscape (and from my experience most passengers don’t do this part).

It’s also the part which has (slightly) more frequency : 3 tpd instead of 2, but more in the summer (when I was there in 2021, it was 5 tpd from July to October). Current timetable until May : 

https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/WEB%20FH32%20TRAIN%20JAUNE%20du%2015%20DE%C3%8C%C2%81CEMBRE%20AU%2023%20MAI%204%20PAGES%20V6.pdf

Also if any use, the adjecent routes to Latour - Toulouse : https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/LATOUR%20-%20TOULOUSE%20SEMAINE%20&%20WE%204%20PAGES.pdf

and Villefranche - Perpignan : https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/A3%20PERPI%20-%20VVB%20a%C3%8C%C2%80%20partir%20du%2018_02%20(1).pdf