If you were planning to travel by train to Paris for the Olympic Games on July 26, the day of the opening ceremony, you may have been one of those people who found yourself left behind. Because if the SNCF had opened sales of TGV Inoui, Ouigo and Intercités tickets for this summer in mid-March, it had blocked reservations for departure or arrival from three Parisian stations (Paris-Gare de Lyon, Paris-Bercy and Paris-Austerlitz) on July 26, due to uncertainties about the conditions of access to these stations.
Two months later, these sales have (finally) been open since this Saturday, SNCF confirms to Le Figaro. Last March, however, the Minister responsible for Transport Patrice Vergriete announced the date of mid-April for the opening of this ticket office. If reservations for these journeys were until now impossible, it was because the public railway company was waiting for the Paris police headquarters to complete its plan to secure the opening ceremony. The three Parisian stations concerned are located in the red zone, that is to say where motorized access will be prohibited. And although they are nevertheless accessible on foot or by public transport, certain stations located on the banks of the Seine will be closed for security reasons, which will complicate access.
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However, if sales for this special day are now open, they are subject to some adjustments. In particular in terms of timetables: from the three Parisian stations concerned, reservations for the TGV Inoui, Ouigo and Intercités “will be possible for departures until 4 p.m. After 4 p.m., no trains will be offered for sale,” SNCF indicates to Le Figaro. On the other hand, in the direction of arrivals at these three stations, it is possible to reserve a train “for all-day traffic”.
For Paris-province TER trains, “places on board are limited”, underlines the company, which therefore invites “customers to anticipate their reservations and travel times”. Finally, there will be no night train departing from Paris-Austerlitz on the evening of July 26. And two of them will be postponed, departing from Paris-Bercy.
As for SNCF’s Italian competitor, Trenitalia, which provides five rotations per day between Paris and Lyon, seats for its trains which will run on July 26 were put on sale in mid-March. With the possibility of booking tickets for trips after 4 p.m. In view of what the SNCF has announced, affected travelers may have to change their plans. The Italian company has not yet communicated on the subject.