France - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services

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Introduction

Timetable Information

It has not been possible to obtain access to the working timetable in recent years. The entries in this list therefore derive from:

  • services which can be adduced from public timetable information (such as occasional pre-planned engineering diversions where these are shown in the journey planners) for which an explanation is given
  • services where the same train / timings apply as in the last accessed working timetable and where it may therefore be assumed that the same "obscure" routing applies
  • services for which the routing has been confirmed subsequently.

Therefore for some entries this list does not represent the service for any specific timetable period and it is not planned to update these entries with each timetable change. For some entries where the service is particularly sparse or difficult to deduce, individual trains are listed and the compilers will endeavour to update these entries with each timetable change. Entries marked FR20/ are based on the timetable commencing 15 December 2019, unless otherwise stated. Standard abbreviations are explained in General Information.

Regions

From 1982 the Départements in metropolitan France were grouped into 16 Régions, which were merged and renamed into 13 metropolitan Régions in 2016. SNCF continued to use the 1982 names for a while after 2016, but now use the new names.

Regions are listed geographically, north to south, and there is a separate page giving details of obscure routes in each.

Hauts de France includes Lille and Amiens
Normandie includes Caen and Rouen
Île-de-France includes Paris
Grand Est includes Metz, Strasbourg and Mulhouse
Pays de Loire includes Le Mans and Nantes
Centre - Val de Loire includes Orléans and Tours
Bourgogne Franche Comté includes Besançon and Dijon
Nouvelle Aquitaine includes Poitiers and Bordeaux
Auvergne Rhône Alpes includes Lyon, Chambéry and Valence
Occitanie includes Toulouse and Perpignan
Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur includes Avignon and Marseille

The following regions currently have no Obscure Services: Bretagne and Corse (Corsica)

Dates of Running

SNCF has one of the most complex patterns in Europe of dates on which some trains run, such that they can be very cumbersome to express in words. The entries thus show just the basic pattern, such as weekdays only or weekends only. The letter 'D' denotes a train whose dates of operation are seasonal or variable. Users should use the SNCF journey planner to determine on which dates a train runs.

The timetable fiches do not normally cover the whole year. A new series usually comes into force in July, but not all régions seem to adhere to the same July date. These summer/autumn fiches are not normally available until June. Check also when reading the timetable fiches for dated entries, fiches being reissued after they have come into force (and hence not necessarily available at the time of compiling details of obscure services) and gaps in the period covered (which can give rise to a 'hidden' suspension of service). Owing to this complex situation users should not rely on details herein being up to date at all times and should check on the SNCF journey planner. Check for alterations in consequence of strikes, engineering works and of service reductions at holiday periods at SNCF Grandes lignes, Île de France or the TER regional websites.

LGVs

Details are not generally given of spurs linking to Lignes à Grande Vitesse (LGVs) (except in the cases of a few little-used or particularly obscure spurs). Detailed schematic plans of all LGVs can be found via this list; these plans should be consulted to identify all the various spurs on and off LGVs. TGVs normally make maximum use of LGVs on their line of route, but overnight services may use classic lines for part of the journey, in order to allow for infrastructure maintenance.

Where reference is made to TGV services, this should be taken to include Eurostar, Thalys, Ouigo and Izy trains as appropriate, where the context so permits and unless otherwise indicated (but remember that Ouigo and Izy trains may not show up on Voyages-SNCF or HAFAS-related on-line journey planners - only on their dedicated websites). In lists of trains herein, TGV Inoui services are shown as TGVI and TGV Ouigo as TGVO.

Table Numbers/Fiches

No overall French public timetable in tabular form is now issued, so table numbers cannot be quoted. Lines are listed by local government Région so, for local services, the number of the TER fiche is quoted. These can be downloaded through the TER regional websites: select the relevant Région and follow Horaires & Trafic then Fiches Horaires or Votre Fiche Horaires or Fiches Horaires à télécharger or Horaires / Travauz / Grèves.

Where a service is shown in the European Rail Timetable this is indicated by 'ERT' and the table number.

Maps

Map references for each route entry are given in parentheses ( ). References prefixed "ERA" refer to the European Railway Atlas France & Benelux Regional Series 2017, by M.G.Ball (ISBN 978-1-9997875-1-6). An additional map reference in italics for some entries refers to the Schweers+Wall Atlas Ferroviaire de la France Band 1 Nord, dated 2015.

SNCF's most recent on-line passenger destinations map is diagrammatic and does not show lines used only by local trains: see the General Information Maps page for mapping information.

Trams

See France - Tram services over obscure routes

Other sparse services

Away from the LGVs and main lines to and from Paris, SNCF provide some of the least frequent services in Europe on their cross-country, secondary and tertiary lines. To list those with a poorer frequency than might be expected elsewhere would be tedious. However, the following lines have - on several working days of the week - no more than a single round trip, or have no service on some working days, or are restricted to seasonal or "dated" service. Careful study of the Régional TER fiches is therefore strongly recommended. "Better service" may still be limited compared to standards elsewhere.

Readers should also take particular notice of lines listed as Particularly Threatened.

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

fiches 66, 81 Neussargues - St Chély-d'Apcher

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

fiche ** Clamecy - Corbigny ** (fiche CORBIGNY/CLAMECY/AVALLON-AUXERRE-PARIS BERCY)

Bretagne

fiche 09 Retiers - Châteaubriant Better service at weekends.
fiche ** Auray - Quiberon Summer service only (note ** = fiche is at TER Bretagne website, but "hidden" under Loisirs et Tourisme > Lignes touristiques$$ > Tire Bouchon (= Corkscrew) and the current version is not usually available until the summer

$$ accessed by clicking on the 'Les trains touristiques' tab!)

Grand Est

fiche A 08* Saales - St.Dié-des-Vosges *(fiche Strasbourg Saales St.Dié Epinal). Better service at weekends. Service should be restored to more normal level by 2021 on completion of relaying and other work.
fiche L02 Thionville – Apach – frontier (– Perl [Germany]) Weekend service only

Normandie

fiche ** Trouville-Deauville - Dives-Cabourg ** (fiche Dives Cabourg-Trouville Deauville-Paris). Summer service plus winter weekends (except 11 January - 29 March 2018)

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

fiche 33 Le Verdon - Pointe-de-Grave Summer service only; Pointe-de-Grave does not appear on the fiche outside the summer
Hendaye – Irún (Spain) There have been no standard gauge services from Hendaye to Irún since December 2017. The only cross-border services are broad gauge trains: 310 and 313 (Hotel trains from/to Lisboa Santa Apolonia) and IC 280 from A Coruña .
fiche 10 Busseau-sur-Creuse - Felletin
fiche 10 Bressuire - Chantonnay Better service on summer weekends

Occitanie

fiches 31, 32 Mende - Le Monastier-Pin-Moriès [ - Marvejols]

Deletions since previous edition

FR19/501 Nîmes (Bif. de Grézan) – Raccordement Fret de Saint-Gervasy – Nîmes Pont du Gard This route was used on a temporary basis by a few trains pending compltion of the Contournement de Nîmes et de Montpellier.
FR19/502 [Beaucaire –] Raccordement de Jonquières – Nîmes-Manduel (west junction) Following completion of the Contournement de Nîmes et de Montpellier IC trains no longer run via Montpellier Sud de France.

Deletions from Other Sparse Services section

See also