LRH-NTE SNCF Intercités – 2nd Class

Operator: SNCF

Headcode: Intercités 3854

Route:    La Rochelle-Nantes

Class:    Second

Seat:     Coach 3, Seat 048

Date:     Wednesday 27^th July 2022

Having arrived in La Rochelle on a Ryanair flight from Stansted (read about that here), I spent a couple of hours having a late breakfast and wandering around the port (La Rochelle blog coming soon) before making the short walk to the town’s stunning Gare de La Rochelle Ville.

When booking this trip I had wanted to try and visit two different cities whilst also trying out the local rail network and so, whilst flying to/from La Rochelle, had decided to spend the night in Nantes. Both cities are on SNCF’s Intercités network and connected by a direct train that runs from Bordeaux to Nantes calling at a number of stations, including La Rochelle, on the way.

I was booked onto the 1219 departure from La Rochelle which was due to arrive in Nantes around an hour and three quarters later at 1405. As with most main stations in France, La Rochelle has electronic departure boards along with displays showing where on the platform each coach will be, allowing me to wait in the right place for my booked seat.

Intercités services on this line are operated by modern bi-mode, dual-voltage B 85000 units that were constructed in the mid-2010s. Formed of six walkthrough carriages, there are four with 2^nd class seating and two dedicated to 1^st class with the latter towards the centre of the train. Whilst fairly new, there was no Wi-Fi available onboard and in 2^nd class there were no standard or USB power sockets. Author’s Note: On my next journey I discovered there were in fact standard sockets hidden under the armrests but they weren’t easily noticed.

Seating was a mix of airline style and groups of four, with the former having access to large seatback tables, whilst the large, fixed tables in the centre of the latter had folding tops to allow easier access. With 2-2 seating either side of the aisle there was a reasonable amount of space with the French loading gauge allowing for slightly wider trains than in Britain, whilst all seats also had an individual coat hook and reading light.

Unfortunately, whilst these trains and the journey was generally comfortable, there are a couple of issues that could impact your comfort if travelling on them for a longer distance, such as the full, four-hour journey from Bordeaux to Nantes. One of these issues is the small bins for each pair of seats that are located on the back of the seats in front. Unfortunately, this location means that its in your knee space and I certainly kneed the one at my seat numerous times on the journey.

The other issue, and this was a lot more surprising, was the lack of any catering provision onboard. On other loco-hauled Intercités services there is catering available and so it is surprising that there is not even the facility for small café bar or a trolley service onboard. For my journey this wasn’t too much of an issue, although it did mean a late lunch in Nantes, however again, for a four hour journey you’re likely to desire at least a drink.

The route between La Rochelle and Nantes has just two intermediate stations, Luçon and La Roche-sur-Yon, which were about 40 and 65 minutes into the journey respectively. At both a fair number of people boarded and alighted, dispelling my notion that most people on the train were going all the way to Nantes like myself. The stops were quick and painless, lasting no more than a couple of minutes and we ran on schedule throughout the journey.

With about 10-minutes to go, rural France morphed into the built-up suburbs of Nantes, with us entering the city itself by crossing the impressive River Loire. Whilst La Rochelle station isn’t particularly busy, with one Intercités service and a couple of local TER services, Nantes was much busier, with TGV and Intercités services to multiple major cities along with a much wider network of local trains.

We arrived into platform 6 pretty much exactly on time and whilst I found my way to the exit and nearby tram stop I had time to reflect on the journey. Generally, it was comfortable and, with the exception of the bin, I could certainly sit comfortably in the seats for a longer journey. The trains reminded me quite a lot of the new Stadler units on Greater Anglia (read about one of those here) in that they were smooth, spacious and generally quite nice, however the lack of catering let the side down in my opinion.

Lounge              0*

Seat/Facilities     3*

Food               0*

Service             5*

Punctuality         5*

Overall Rating      13/25 (read about my rating system here!)