Operator: SNCF
Headcode: TGV8378
Route: LRH-PAR
Class: 1st
Seat: C3 S11
Date: Wednesday 16th August 2023
After an enjoyable couple of weeks in France, it was time to begin our journey home and so we once again found ourselves at La Rochelle’s main station ready to catch a TGV to Paris. La Rochell has a spectacular station, originally constructed in 1922, however it is now much too grand for the level of service offered, with at best a two-hourly service on routes serving the station.
As we brought our bags over the bridge from the car rental drop off, we saw that there were two TGV units in the station and hoped that ours would be the one on platform A (the main platform adjacent to the station building) as it would save us having to go up and over again to a different platform. Whilst the station building at La Rochelle is beautiful, the inside is undergoing restoration and so the “Danseurs au ballon” painted on the ceiling is currently covered in scaffolding.
Luckily our train was the one on platform A, formed of TGV Atlantique set 340, so we only had a short walk towards the rear of the set to find out seats in coach 3. Each TGV Atlantique set is formed of two power cars and 10 passenger cars, with most of three of the passenger cars dedicated to 1st class (there’s a small number of 2nd class seats at the power car end of coach 1). In 1st, the seating is in a 2-1 configuration either side of the aisle, grouped around tables in pairs or groups of four. The groups of four are semi enclosed (like an open compartment), whilst SNCF markets the pairs as ‘Club Duo’.
We were in seats 11 & 14, a pair of ‘Club Duo’ seats at one end of the carriage and following the issues with boarding at Paris on the way out (read about that here), we decided to board as soon as possible. This meant we were able to get our cases in the luggage storage at one end of the carriage without any hassle and were settled into our seats by the time everyone else was trying to find theirs.
As we departed on time at 1347, our carriage was about a third full, although these would fill up as we stopped enroute. The journey back to Paris was scheduled to be 3 hours and 10 minutes, with five intermediate stops at Surgères, Niort, Saint Maixent L’Ecole, Poitiers and Saint-Pierre-Des-Corps. The latter is Tours’ second station and is well placed to handle through traffic as services don’t have to reverse (unlike at the main station).
The advantage of being in coach 3 was that we only had a short walk to the café bar in coach 4. Since having a look at the menu on the journey out, I had been looking forward to trying out the onboard selection and so soon after departure logged onto the Wi-Fi to have a look at the menu. I’ve got to say I was impressed with the choice as there were eight ‘mains’ to choose from, ranging from salads and sandwiches to a croque-monsieur and a burger.
If you decide to grab some food onboard, I’d recommend ordering at your seat as whilst you still have to head to the café bar, you are able to jump the queue and collect within a 15-minute window. There’s also a range of meal deals including ‘Le menu Thierry Marx’ which, for €15.90, you’re able to get a main, dessert and a drink. We opted for this and discovered that with the burger you also get a packet of crisps and so altogether, two meal deals and two extra bottles of water came to €37.20. Even better was you get a discount with the SNCF Advantage card (their version a railcard but not age restricted) which saved us €5.43.
Heading up to the bar to collect our food, I was glad I had ordered for collection as the queue of people waiting to order was at least half a dozen people long. There was plenty of room to wait though as the café bars on the TGVs have an area for people to stand and socialise whilst having a bite to eat. When I got back to my seat and tucked in, I was pleasantly surprised at the taste and quality of what was essentially a microwaved burger. I suppose at the end of the day the French are known for their food!
By the time we departed our second stop at Niort, the train was pretty much full and we continued along the local line until we reached Poitiers. Having passed under the Ligne à Grande Vitesse (LGV) Sud Europe Atlantique on the approach to the city, we joined the line to the north of Poitiers having stopped at the main station. With an armchair like seat, power and Wi-Fi the journey was passing by quickly and I was able to do some writing whilst the French countryside passed by.
The penultimate stop on our journey was Tours Saint-Pierre-Des-Corps and we left the LGV line to divert via the city. As we departed, we passed a huge rail yard with a mix of passenger, freight and infrastructure traffic stabled within. Looping around the north of the city, we rejoined the LGV for the final run to Paris.
With a cookie and another drink from the café bar to help us through the final leg, we began to pass through the numerous tunnels that make up the approach to Paris Montparnasse under the Paris suburbs. I was able to catch a glimpse of F-HUYG, a Transavia France Boeing 737-800 on approach to Orly as we passed the airport. That aircraft was nearing the end of it’s journey from Ankara and had left only 35 minutes before us, putting into perspective that although TGVs are fast, they’re nothing compared to a jet engine.
As we passed SNCF’s Technicentre Atlantique and arrived into Paris Montparnasse, our journey came to an end. We arrived at 1659, five minutes late, however the five minutes didn’t really matter as I’d really enjoyed the journey. The food, whilst not included in 1st class tickets, was great and our seats were spacious and comfortable. Compared to our journey out, it was as though we’d travelled with a completely different operator. If you’re taking a journey more than a couple of hours in length, I’d certainly recommend paying that bit extra for 1st if the price is right.
Lounge 0*
Seat/Facilities 4*
Food 4*
Service 5*
Punctuality 4*
Overall Rating 17/25 (read about my rating system here!)
Flights & Times 
Good report. Glad the train took the strain! 😀
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