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Paying twice for a reservation?

  • 28 January 2024
  • 13 replies
  • 243 views
J
Rank
  • Joost26
  • Keeps calm and carries on
  • 10 replies

Hello,

I ran into a very strange situation this morning. I try to make a reservation for the direct TGV from Brussels to Valence on the 27th of april. While trying that at raileurope it says ‘rail pass does not apply for this trip’. While trying at the interrailservice it says ‘tickets may be sold out’.

 

However if I split the reservation it does work. The train from Brussels to Valence stops at Lille Europe. If I request a reservation from Brussels to Lille and from Lille to Valence it does allow me to make a reservation. So that basically means two separate reservations for the same train? Raileurope even puts me in exactly the same seats. What is going on here? I dont really like paying the double fee.

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Best answer by thibcabe 28 January 2024, 13:32

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13 replies

Hektor
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The TGV from Bruxelles to France does have a special passholder tariff of 20 € 2nd class or 30 € 1st class that is (AFAIK) implemented just to stations in the Paris area (or before like Lille). If you’d like to go any further the system can’t connect two different types of reservations and it doesn’t work at all.

The only workarounds I see: 1. Ask at the station. 2. Avoid the TGV from Bruxelles to Lille. 

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

What is the price you get for Brussels - Lille ? It might be the price of a regular ticket.

There is a very limited passholder quota on TGVs out of Brussels. But from Lille no quota and the usual 10-20€ fares apply.

2 other options :

Buy a regular ticket for Brussels - Lille : yes it's annoying but it saves you time, if not money.

Travel via Kortrijk and board the TGV only in Lille. Coming from NL it's better to change trains in Antwerp rather than in Brussels.

I'll have a look with your travel date, let me check first.

J
Rank

The TGV from Bruxelles to France does have a special passholder tariff of 20 € 2nd class or 30 € 1st class that is (AFAIK) implemented just to stations in the Paris area (or before like Lille). If you’d like to go any further the system can’t connect two different types of reservations and it doesn’t work at all.

The only workarounds I see: 1. Ask at the station. 2. Avoid the TGV from Bruxelles to Lille. 

I dont think this is the case. If I try a different date (for example the 23th of april) it does allow me to make a direct reservation from Bruxelles to Valence.

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Well it’s weird… I can get the 20€ fare as far as Marne-la-Vallée (Disneyland) but afterwards it doesn’t work. Through RailEurope at least.

What does interrail.eu show when you try booking this exact connection ? (I can’t check as I won’t have a pass valid by that date.)

Hektor
Rank

You’re right, it’s not even Paris, it’s just Lille where the cross-border tariff is implemented. I thought it is Paris but that seems just because Lille to Paris has too few passholder seat reservations to verify this and so you’ll normally always get a reservation for Paris, too.

The system will give you a reservation for stations further than Lille just if the cheapest passholder quota for a journey in France is still available. Otherwise the system can’t connect the two different types of reservations and it doesn’t work at all. Yourself you can do this by splitting the journey.

But it stays the same; the only workarounds I see: 1. Ask at the station. 2. Avoid the TGV from Bruxelles to Lille. 

J
Rank

Well it’s weird… I can get the 20€ fare as far as Marne-la-Vallée (Disneyland) but afterwards it doesn’t work. Through RailEurope at least.

What does interrail.eu show when you try booking this exact connection ? (I can’t check as I won’t have a pass valid by that date.)

Interrail.eu says the following for the exact same train number on the 27th of april.

 

For Brussels - Valence: “Prices unavailable” No price results were found. Pass holder reservations may be sold out for this connection, but there are other ways to check for available seats - more info below our timetable”.

 

For Brussels - Lille: Tickets available €32 1st Class, €22 2nd Class

 

For Brussels - Marne-la-Vallée: Tickets available €32 1st Class, €22 2nd Class

 

For Lille - Valence: Tickets available €22 1st Class, €22 2nd Class

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Ah that’s interesting to know but a shame at the same time…

Where would you be coming from @Joost26 ? I guess the Breda - Antwerpen - Kortrijk - Lille route is your best option, even if it takes some time.

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Interrail.eu says the following for the exact same train number on the 27th of april.

 

For Brussels - Valence: “Prices unavailable” No price results were found. Pass holder reservations may be sold out for this connection, but there are other ways to check for available seats - more info below our timetable”.

 

For Brussels - Lille: Tickets available €32 1st Class, €22 2nd Class

 

For Brussels - Marne-la-Vallée: Tickets available €32 1st Class, €22 2nd Class

 

For Lille - Valence: Tickets available €22 1st Class, €22 2nd Class

Yeah this confirms what Hektor said then. You can get passholder reservations from Brussels to Marne-la-Vallée as Lille-Europe - Marne-la-Vallée only costs 10€ (and not 20€).

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

The system will give you a reservation for stations further than Lille just if the cheapest passholder quota for a journey in France is still available. Otherwise the system can’t connect the two different types of reservations and it doesn’t work at all. Yourself you can do this by splitting the journey.

I'm not sure if it really works like that. A few years ago, I wanted a reservation on a TGV from Brussels to Champagne-Ardenne but there was no availability anymore. Lille to Champagne-Ardenne was still available at €10 though. In the end I bought a single ticket Brussels-Lille (€19) and a Forfait reservation Lille-Champagne-Ardenne (€1.50 - this doesn't work anymore).

As far as I know, the TGV fares from/to Brussels are a completely separate system with their own quota.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
Hektor
Rank

The system will give you a reservation for stations further than Lille just if the cheapest passholder quota for a journey in France is still available. Otherwise the system can’t connect the two different types of reservations and it doesn’t work at all. Yourself you can do this by splitting the journey.

I'm not sure if it really works like that. A few years ago, I wanted a reservation on a TGV from Brussels to Champagne-Ardenne but there was no availability anymore. Lille to Champagne-Ardenne was still available at €10 though. In the end I bought a single ticket Brussels-Lille (€19) and a Forfait reservation Lille-Champagne-Ardenne (€1.50 - this doesn't work anymore).

As far as I know, the TGV fares from/to Brussels are a completely separate system with their own quota.

But your example is exactly the same? Even if there’s no passholder fare left from Bruxelles you’ll get a ticket from any station in France as long as the french tariff is available (now: until the train is completely sold out). But here it seems to be a bug anyway; the system just can’t manage the more expensive passholder fare in France.

To verify you need to search for a train where there’s no cheap passholder fare in France is available but a cross border passholder fare from Bruxelles. If you are bored… 😉

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

To verify you need to search for a train where there’s no cheap passholder fare in France is available but a cross border passholder fare from Bruxelles. If you are bored… 😉

Maybe we should rather put our efforts towards convincing SNCF to drop the last remaining TGV pass holder quota…

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
J
Rank

Ah that’s interesting to know but a shame at the same time…

Where would you be coming from @Joost26 ? I guess the Breda - Antwerpen - Kortrijk - Lille route is your best option, even if it takes some time.

I chose to travel via Paris. Not ideal since it has the transfer from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, but I will manage. Thank you for helping out.

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

You’re welcome! You can get paper RER/métro tickets in the Eurostar (ex-Thalys) dining car to save time too :)

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