Catching train from Paris Austerlitz to St Pierre Des Corps

I have my open dated ticket on SNCF to travel first class to St Pierre Des Corps, leaving from Paris Austerlitz.

As this is not for travel on the TGV, I%26#39;ve been told that my ticket is a reservation only, not a guarantee of a seat, as the seating is not reservable on the regional trains. Can I just sit anywhere in first class or will someone boot me out of an unreserved seat? If the ticket I have is all I need, do I validate it on the platform, or should I do that at a window somewhere? I just like to know the correct procedure for these things.

Many thanks

Kim

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I made a few journeys in France earlier this year.

If you bought your ticket in France it will need to be %26#39;COMPOSTER%26#39; in the orange machine at the platform. Otherwise (in theory) you don%26#39;t have to.

Some Corail Intercites trains and all regional trains have no reservations (none on that run are marked %26#39;Reservation Obligatoire%26#39; in the timetable,) so it probably doesn%26#39;t matter where you sit; trouble is that where seats have been reserved (eg by a group) there is often nothing to tell you.

Trust that helps a little.

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Thanks for your reply. The ticket was purchased in Australia through a Rail Europe agent and looks more like a voucher than a ticket as such. I will be travelling next Monday on the train, so I%26#39;ll let you know how it goes!

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On SNCF regional trains (Corail), reserved seats are generally indicated by a label that is inserted in a slot corresponding to the seat number. The label slot%26#39;s location can vary depending on the type of passenger car: in some cases, you%26#39;ll have to look over the window next to the seat; occasionally, the label may be on the top of the seat%26#39;s headrest; for trains with compartments, there%26#39;ll be a panel outside the compartment with a label tucked into the slot for those of the six seats within which are reserved.

The labels indicate which stop the passenger with the reservation will be getting on and where the passenger will be getting off the train. Thus, you may see a seat that is empty but which is still reserved--the passenger will be arriving to claim that seat a few stations ahead. If you%26#39;ll be leaving the train before then, feel free to take that seat.

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djwineworks - reservation tickets are sometimes missing as they were when I travelled Bordeaux - Perigueux in July with Corail Intercites. Otherwise you are correct!

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