Frequently asked questions
Stations and trains
Updated on 12 January 2024
5-minute readYou can find out more by:
- logging on to the Gares & Connexions, in the station's "Accessibility services" section;
- contacting Assist'enGare by telephone every day from 8am to 8pm, on 32 12 and +33 (0)9 72 72 00 92 from abroad (free service + call charge).
You can find out more by:
- logging on to the Gares & Connexions, in the station's "Accessibility services" section;
- contacting Assist'enGare by telephone every day from 8am to 8pm, on 32 12 and +33 (0)9 72 72 00 92 from abroad (free service + call charge).
Priority in queues and for access to seating is granted to you, in accordance with article L241-3 of the Code de l'Action sociale et des Familles, if you are the holder of:
- an 80% or more disability card or an inclusive mobility card;
- a priority card, a card marked "station debout pénible" or "priorité pour personne handicapée";
- a family priority card.
In stations, you can ask SNCF staff for help. Please note, however, that our agents are not allowed to search your bag for your ticket. It's up to you to hand your ticket to the staff, who will stamp it for you.
If you board the train without having successfully stamped your ticket, report your situation to the conductor when he first passes.
If there isn't enough room under the seat for your guide dog, you can ask the conductor for a free replacement in a more comfortable "square" or "solo" space. This replacement of the guide dog and its owner is not automatic. It depends on the availability of seats in the train, which only the conductor knows about on the route in question. You must therefore not take the initiative of moving to another seat without the conductor's prior authorization.
.No.
These spaces are exclusively dedicated to wheelchair users. Even if the space is free, you should not move into it, as a passenger requiring this space may board at any time during the journey from an intermediate station.
Tandems are not allowed on trains.
However, while some dismountable models do not exceed 130 cm in height and 90 cm in width when folded, these can be accepted as long as they are stored in a carrying bag or cover.
For more information, you can consult the page dedicated to our solutions and rates for traveling with your bike.
If you're traveling in a wheelchair and the toilet is too narrow for your wheelchair to enter, some TGV trains have a small wheelchair available. This transfer chair will enable you to get to the toilet if it is not independently accessible. To obtain this chair, simply request it from the conductor.
Two dedicated spaces per train set, with the companion location nearby, are accessible to wheelchair users on trains subject to reservation.
On board TGVs and subject to availability, wheelchair passengers are systematically placed in 1st class in adapted spaces while benefiting from a 2nde class fare. This provision also applies to the wheelchair passenger's first companion.
The wheelchair passenger's other companions (up to a maximum of 3 people) can benefit from a 30% reduction on the Loisirs fare of the day if they are traveling in the same car as the wheelchair passenger (TGV INOUI ticket in 1ère class for travel within France). Reservations for wheelchair passengers and their companions must be made at the same time.
These dedicated spaces allow you to travel in your own wheelchair. They are generally associated with a seat into which you can transfer, if you can, in order to travel more comfortably if you wish.
The toilets in the car in which these dedicated spaces are located are accessible to people with reduced mobility.
If you're traveling in the dedicated space, you can stay in your chair or take advantage of the associated seating.
If you're traveling outside the dedicated space, your folded chair is considered baggage, and must be tagged and stored in the bulky baggage areas.
Like any piece of baggage, your folded chair can be handled by the My Baggage service.
If the dimensions of your walker do not exceed the dimensions of 130 cm by 90 cm, it is considered as luggage, it must be labeled and stored in the bulky luggage areas.
The dimensions of the wheelchair must comply with current regulations (annex to European Commission Regulation (EU) No 1300 / 2014 of November 18, 2014 on the technical specification for interoperability relating to persons with reduced mobility in the trans-European conventional and high-speed rail system). The weight of the wheelchair, its occupant and luggage must not exceed a total of 300 kg for an electric wheelchair and 200 kg for a manual wheelchair. The maximum authorized dimensions of a manual or electric wheelchair are 70 cm wide, 120 cm deep and 145 cm high (including passenger), with a turning diameter of 150 cm.
.Yes, as long as your scooter does not exceed the regulatory dimensions of a wheelchair as defined in the previous question.
Nighttime INTERCITÉS do not offer a good level of accessibility and are not recommended for wheelchair passengers. The equipment is currently of an age and design that does not meet current accessibility standards :
- car access doors and aisle widths very narrow
- toilets not adapted for People with Reduced Mobility (PRM)
- non-adapted wheelchair storage
- night INTERCITÉS feature long routes, without stops, or with intermediate service stops in closed stations, with no reception staff
We advise you to travel on day trains, where there is a dedicated space for wheelchair users, at no extra cost, even when the space is in first class (free upgrade). Remember to book the station assistance service if it is provided at the departure and/or arrival stations of their journey.
Header : © Seb Godefroy
Discover also : © Seb Godefroy / Seb Godefroy / Seb Godefroy