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> Also, for example TGV requires you to be at the check in 20 minutes before. Where? For TGV Inoui (the main brand) you have to be in the train 2 minutes befo

> Also, for example TGV requires you to be at the check in 20 minutes before. Where? For TGV Inoui (the main brand) you have to be in the train 2 minutes before (written on any ticket, also here: https://www.sncf.com/fr/offres-voyageurs/voyager-en-train/tgv-inoui/votre-voyage/votre-embarquement https://www.sncf.com/fr/offres-voyageurs/voyager-en-train/tg...), and that's all. People flow through the gate up to the last minute. It has been like this for at least a decade. For TGV Ouigo (low-cost brand), it seems to be 30 minutes according to https://www.ouigo.com/faq?question=ai-je-pense-a-tous-avant-partir https://www.ouigo.com/faq?question=ai-je-pense-a-tous-avant-... I never understood this constraint with Ouigo though; it's obviously possible to skip it as shown by Inoui trains... and both are operated by the same company from the same train stations.

rad_gruchalski 5y ago
> Where? In Brussels.
- kergonath 5y ago
  The only case I have seen like this is the Eurostar, but that is because of customs checks, border controls, etc, which don’t exist within the Schengen area. This is a very specific case and is not representative of how most people travel by train in Europe. You don’t have to come particularly early for the Thalys in Paris, for example.
deaddabe 5y ago
The constraint on OUIGO trains is because tickets have to be checked before onboarding. So you have hundreds of passengers to check in line. This takes time. So people are required to come earlier. However in practice most people respect the 30 minutes, so that you can arrive 10min before the train and get your ticket checked without waiting in line. This is not guaranteed. But often works. I take a lot of OUIGO and never respect the 30 min, because you often wait 10min in line. Once I arrived 5min before departure, had my ticket checked but had to run in front of the correct car. When train arrives nobody is allowed to pass the checkpoint. For the InOui you can always come 5min before departure, because tickets are checked on-board so there is no wait line.

rad_gruchalski 5y ago

> Where? In Brussels.

kergonath 5y ago
The only case I have seen like this is the Eurostar, but that is because of customs checks, border controls, etc, which don’t exist within the Schengen area. This is a very specific case and is not representative of how most people travel by train in Europe. You don’t have to come particularly early for the Thalys in Paris, for example.

deaddabe 5y ago

The constraint on OUIGO trains is because tickets have to be checked before onboarding. So you have hundreds of passengers to check in line. This takes time. So people are required to come earlier. However in practice most people respect the 30 minutes, so that you can arrive 10min before the train and get your ticket checked without waiting in line. This is not guaranteed. But often works. I take a lot of OUIGO and never respect the 30 min, because you often wait 10min in line. Once I arrived 5min before departure, had my ticket checked but had to run in front of the correct car. When train arrives nobody is allowed to pass the checkpoint. For the InOui you can always come 5min before departure, because tickets are checked on-board so there is no wait line.