Connecting travel

Each type of train (TGV INOUI, INTERCITÉS, TER, OUIGO...) has a different contract of carriage, generating different pricing and after-sales conditions.

Today, the law has changed, giving the regions the right to apply their own range of fares on their TERs, as well as the right to accept or reject national fares. This also applies to journeys connecting with an OUIGO. 

In the context of this fare freedom, certain regions (on which TER depends) have chosen whether or not to accept this Carte Avantage, which is a national card. 
For further information, please visit your region's TER website.

Each type of train (TGV INOUI, OUIGO, TER, etc.) has a different transport contract, generating different fare and exchange conditions.

You can buy them on online sales sites, at your station ticket office, at a self-service kiosk or from an approved travel agency.

You can buy it on online sales sites and in certain approved travel agencies.

To benefit from the "Billet Direct" protection, you must ask your seller or his sales site for an end-to-end journey, from your original destination to your final destination, so that you can be offered a ticket including connecting times validated by SNCF Voyageurs.

If you miss your connection due to unforeseen circumstances, our on-board and station teams will assist you and offer you a free reservation on the next available train. If, exceptionally, the proposed solution requires you to wait until the following day, your accommodation costs will be covered.

You will be able to make a claim for compensation.

Go to request

You will also have the option of not continuing your journey and requesting a transfer to your departure station.

Scope of the solution

• Reserved for international travelers,
• Travelers holding separate transportation contracts for one trip,
• Passengers stranded between trains due to the delay or cancellation of the previous train in a series of journeys,
• Passengers have provided a reasonable connection time between trains, as foreseen by official rail planners,
• Continuation of the journey with the original carrier is at no extra cost, and there is no guarantee of a seat on the next available train,

This agreement does not cover assistance, refunds and compensation in the event of delay/cancellation; please refer to Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 on rail passengers' rights and obligations (PRR).

Request procedure

• a) The passenger requests confirmation of the delay (the form of which may vary from one railway undertaking to another), which is provided by the staff of the delayed train or by staff at the location of the cancelled train.
• b) Information concerning the continuation of the journey and the conditions applicable to the service are communicated to the passenger by the staff.
• c) The passenger is allowed to board the next available train with the same carrier.

You travel from Rome to Paris via Milan with the following tickets:

• a Frecciarossa ticket between Rome and Milan (train operated by Trenitalia)
• a TGV INOUI ticket with seat reservation between Milan and Paris Gare de Lyon (train operated by SNCF)

Your Frecciarossa is unexpectedly delayed and you miss your connection in Milan. In this case, please contact the staff on board your first train or the staff at Milan station (your connecting station), specifying that your first train has arrived late.

The staff at Milan station will check that you have allowed enough time for your connection, and will give you a certificate of delay and the timetable of the next TGV INOUI to your destination (same carrier), which you can use without having to buy a new ticket. This procedure also applies to any connections beyond Paris.

You travel from Paris to Berlin via Frankfurt with the following tickets:

• a DB SNCF ticket in cooperation between Paris Est and Frankfurt (train operated in cooperation by DB and SNCF)
• an ICE ticket with seat reservation between Frankfurt and Berlin HBF (train operated by DB)

Your DB SNCF cooperation train from Paris to Frankfurt is unexpectedly delayed, causing you to miss your connection in Frankfurt. In this case, contact the staff at Frankfurt station (your connecting station), and tell them that your first train has arrived late.

The staff at Frankfurt station will check that you had allowed sufficient connecting time, and will give you a delay certificate and the timetable of the next train to your destination (same carrier), which you can use without having to buy a new ticket.

• When making your initial reservation, you must allow sufficient time for connections.
• Being able to catch the next train without having to buy a new ticket does not guarantee you a seat.
• Each of your tickets is a separate contract of carriage. In the event of a delay during your journey, only the train that was actually late will be taken into account in the event of a claim for compensation.

Consult the complete information sheet (french, pdf)