Fourth train to be added to timetable from 6 July, booking open to 31 August.
LONDON – Rail-booking specialist Loco2.com has announced tickets are now available to book for an additional daily direct TGV train from Paris to Barcelona. The fourth service will be added to the timetable on 6 July.
The new direct TGV train from Paris to Barcelona was launched in December 2013, quickly becoming one of Loco2’s top-selling routes.
Prior to the launch of the high-speed service, the trip between two of Europe’s most popular cities took almost 12 hours via night train. The launch of the direct TGV train service was a “watershed moment for train travel in Europe”, according to Mark Smith, the train expert behind popular website, Seat61.com.
It had been hoped that the timing of the new service would offer more choice for travellers from London –until now the earliest departure it was possible to connect with left Paris just after 2pm. While the new train improves the situation, the 10.07 departure cuts it very fine for customers leaving London on the first Eurostar train of the day, with just a 50-minute interchange in Paris. Although it is possible to travel between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon in this amount of time, Loco2 usually recommends allowing at least an hour to make the connection.
“Eurostar and SNCF have previously been criticised for not providing enough time to change trains in Paris,” says Jamie Andrews, co-founder of Loco2.com. “This is a similar example of the connection being just possible, but so tight that we’d feel uncomfortable endorsing it.”
While it is possible to book the tight connection on Loco2 (by booking Eurostar and TGV tickets separately), by default the 10.07 does not appear for users searching from London.
“We would love rail to start taking significant market share away from air for travel between London and Barcelona. Future timetable decisions could encourage this shift by ensuring that ample time is left for the Paris interchange,” says Andrews.
Paris to Barcelona TGV service
- From 6 July, the direct TGV trains run from Paris to Barcelona at 07.15, 10.07 (new), 14.07 and 16.07; and from Barcelona to Paris at 06.05 (new), 09.20, 13.20 and 16.20.
- Booking is open to 31 August, a special summer extension of the usual three-month booking horizon.
Renfe partnership
On 18 February Loco2.com launched a partnership with Spanish state-owned rail operator, Renfe, making it much simpler to book any Spanish train ticket online, including advance deals known as “Turista Promo” fares, which offer discounts of up to 70 per cent. Other routes now available include the entire AVE high-speed network – the longest in Europe at 3,100km. Barcelona to Madrid is possible in fewer than three hours. Scenic routes are affordable, too: the 4.5-hour journey from Barcelona to Alicante, along the Mediterranean coast.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
