What are the different train networks in France?

Posted by Skneller

  1. There are 7 different train networks. Most leave from all 6 mainline train stations in Paris. These are:
    1. Gare du Nord serving the North
    2. Gare de l’Est serving the East
    3. Gare Saint Lazare serving Normandy and Brittany
    4. Gare Montparnasse serving the South West
    5. Gare d’Austerlitz serving the center
    6. Gare de Lyon serving the South East
    7. Gare de Bercy essentially car-trains and some central parts of France
    8. Paris CDG airport although not in Paris, it is a major departure point for France and Europe
  1. European Trains: Regular trains, Night Trains to all over Europe departing from France.
  2. Inoui (formerly TGV trains): High-speed trains – These lines have special well-known names:
  3. Intercite trains: National lines where there is generally no TGV. Intercite runs between some of the major cities but is mainly available for traveling to Picardie, Nord Pas-de-Calais, Normandie, East, Centre Limousin, Midi-Pyrénées, and the Auvergne. A newer generation of rolling stock is replacing the former stock. It offers more comfort and more service.
  4. Ter: “Transport Exprès Régional” Express Regional Transport. Trains operated by the SNCF in conjunction with the 13 regions of France for shorter local train travel.
  5. Paris Suburban lines: “Réseau Banlieu SNCF”: into the suburbs up to about 100 km around Paris.
  6. Paris RER: “Réseau Express Regional” – Regional Express Network. Click here for a map and instructions. This includes Major Stops in Paris and out into the suburbs. These lines are always designated by a capital letter and associated with a color. There itinerary is indicated by the two terminus stations at each end of the run. Each RER can have various branch lines.
    • Line A – Cergy le Haut, Poissy and St Germain en Laye <> Boissy St Leger and Marne la Vallee-Chessy
    • Line B – St Remy les Chevreuse and Robinson <> Mitry-Claye and Airport Charles de Gaulle
    • Line C – St Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles RG, Argenteuil and Pontoise <> Versailles Chantiers, Massy-Palaiseau, Dourdan and St Martin d’Etampes
    • Line D – Orry la Ville-Coye (and Creil) <> Melun and Corbeil-Essonnes (and Malesherbes)
    • Line E – Hausmann-St Lazare <> Tournan en Brie and Chelles-Gournay
  7. Paris Metro: “Metropolitain” mainly underground train in Paris but also reaching out to suburban cities generally sharing a common border with Paris. These lines are always designated by a number and associated with a color. Click here for details, a map and instructions.
    • Line 1 – La Défense <> Château de Vincennes
    • Line 2 – Porte Dauphine <> Nation
    • Line 3 – Pont de Levallois-Bécon <> Gallieni
    • Line 3bis – Gambetta <> Porte des Lilas
    • Line 4 – Porte de Clignancourt <> Porte d’Orléans
    • Line 5 – Place d’Italie <> Bobigny-Pablo Picasso
    • Line 6 – Charles de Gaulle-Étoile <> Nation
    • Line 7 – Villejuif-Louis Aragon/Mairie d’Ivry <> La Courneuve-8 Mai 1945
    • Line 7bis – Louis Blanc <> Pré-Saint-Gervais
    • Line 8 – Balard <> Créteil-Préfecture
    • Line 9 – Pont de Sèvres <> Mairie de Montreuil
    • Line 10 – Boulogne-Pont de Saint-Cloud <> Gare d’Austerlitz
    • Line 11 – Châtelet <> Mairie des Lilas
    • Line 12 – Mairie d’Issy <> Porte de La Chapelle
    • Line 13 – Châtillon-Montrouge <> Gabriel Péri-Asnières-Gennevilliers/Saint Denis-Université
    • Line 14 – Saint-Lazare <> Bibliothèque François Mitterrand