SNCF Societé Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais (France)

...towns, point you to the SNCF yet, they don't all the time take you to it. Once at the train station, when you finally do figure out the line you need to be on , etc... the station that you get off at has the minimal amount of signs needed. Then, after following the signs to get to the NEXT line, that line happens to be "on strike" (we'll go into the Strikes wayyyy down this top 10). So, you just have to "figure out" an alternate ...
.../> 4.) Locations of the SNCF Stations:

Poissy, Plasir, Versailles, Chantiers, Rambouillet, Dreux, La Defense, Montpanarse.....All these places are well known city slash towns in "Ils De France" which is Paris and the area (suburbs) surrounding Paris. It sounds like great places to have the stations, and they are, only.....they are not in the OTHER towns and villages near the major towns. Example:

I lived ... more

Someone that was not French, once told me that no matter how overrated many French products can sometimes be, they do have amazing Transportation systems. Whomever told me this, I can't remember anymore, but I would have to tell that person now, that they have been deluding themselves.

What they were especially deluded about is the TRAIN system. The "SCNF" or "Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais". I understand that several who've reviewed this already, seem to really like this rail system. I wonder though, if they really had to use it for more than a few days? As a visitor, it might be easy to ignore the obviously failings of this system. As a resident, they are irrefutable. Here are the top 5 reasons the SCNF should be called the "System Can Not Function".

5.) The Stations Aren't User Friendly:

When I say they aren't user friendly, I mean......they're freaking confusing. I speak French. It's not the language barrier. It's the convuluted maps and the unfriendly ticketing agents that take you in the wrong directions. The signs in various towns, point you to the SNCF yet, they don't all the time take you to it. Once at the train station, when you finally do figure out the line you need to be on , etc... the station that you get off at has the minimal amount of signs needed. Then, after following the signs to get to the NEXT line, that line happens to be "on strike" (we'll go into the Strikes wayyyy down this top 10). So, you just have to "figure out" an alternate route "somehow".

I would imagine that if they had a university course just on the SNCF, it would probably take you a good 4 yr Bachelors degree, to learn that Train System front to back.

4.) Locations of the SNCF Stations:

Poissy, Plasir, Versailles, Chantiers, Rambouillet, Dreux, La Defense, Montpanarse.....All these places are well known city slash towns in "Ils De France" which is Paris and the area (suburbs) surrounding Paris. It sounds like great places to have the stations, and they are, only.....they are not in the OTHER towns and villages near the major towns. Example:

I lived in Les Mesnuls for a few years. This is a good size village and is about 10 miles away from Plasir and and 15 miles away from Poissy. In order to get to the train station in one of these towns, you have to take the bus in Les Mesnuls to Montfort L'Amory. Then, another bus from Montfort to St. Quintian. Then , the train from St. Quintain (which isn't an SCNF train, but more like a "into major cities" type train system), to Poissy or Plasir. Confusing huh? Why do you have to take a train to get to another train to get to where you want to go?

It's just a very convuluted placement of stations only in "particular" towns throughout France. It took me a litle over an hour to get to my job in Poissy, where it only takes me 15 minutes in a car. Once in Poissy, if I wanted to get go into Paris to visit friends, I took the SCNF. That usually took about an hour, and that's because, the train track goes almost in a roundabout way to Paris! You have no idea how frustrating it is!

3.) The People at The Train Stations Are Jerks (oh and everyone smells):

Maybe this is petty of me. Aren't most people at train stations jerks? Not really. Usually they're nonchalant or rude, but not out and out mean. Well, go to an SNCF , 'specially at night. You'll be pushed, pulled, prodded, spilled on, spit on, talked down to, grossed out by body odor, given stare-down dirty looks, and all other types of disgusting things people can do.

It feels like just a step above a 3rd world country as far as the liter and uncleanliness goes as well.

And, just to reiterate.....the smells are ......HORRIFIC. Can people turn into jerks simply because they don't wash? YES.....THEY CAN....It's the ultimate impoliteness to smell if you have the means to NOT SMELL. If one or two people smelled on every train I went on. That wouldn't be so much of a problem. As it turns out, around 4 out of 5 people surrounding you smelled. Which is even more than the normal public areas of France.

2.) The Cost Is Not.....Cost Effective:

Soooo you go to France thinking "oh well, I don't have to buy a car! I'll just use their public transportation systems, it'll be a LOT cheaper, right?" WRONG. When all is said and done, it will be less expensive to buy a car. Even though, saying that, the cars are still outrageously expensive, so maybe it's better to bring a car OVER from England. ( Ex. An 8 yr old Renault 206 in "decent" shape, will run you about 3000 euros.) Back to the cost's though of the SNCF.

A monthly pass for a person living in France for specific areas will run you about 150/200 Euros a Month. IF though, you go out of those specific areas you have to pay single person tickets.

Example: From Poissy to La Defense (an area right outside of the Pariphare of Paris), costs you 6 Euros ONE WAY. Yet, it's only about a 20 minute train ride with several stops inbetween. That to me seems a little....extravagant.

1.) THE.....STRIKES :

Whenever the mood "strikes" the workers of the public transportation systems in France, they will "STRIKE". Especially the SNCF. It's always such a "surprise" (not)...when they strike on a Friday or a Monday as well. Their strikes generally coincide with holidays so they can get a "free" extra day off. (Dirty isn't it?)

I guess the one thing that is somewhat "decent" that they "usually" do, is give people a one or two day warning when they ARE going to strike. That means, you have at least a small amount of time to find alternate means of transportation that day.

Let's get real here though. How completely ridiculous is frequent strinking for no reason other than getting free days off? It corruption at it's most corrupt in my opinion. What about all the days I had on my monthly pass that I couldn't use because of strikes? Do I get credit for those days I couldn't use it? Nope.

In my mind, you can cancel out the 4 other bad things about SNCF and JUST count the "strike" one as the main reason to not use this train system.

In a nutshell, If your visiting France, use this with extreme caution and only if extremely necessary (meaning...if you can't rent a car). If your living in France......buy a car ....OR if you can't, just use the Busing system. It's not as great as it should be, but it rarely goes on strike and is usually on time all the time.

****** In Conclusion *****

The very first time I used this system, I had the help of my parents. They were living in France, (my father was the director of a French company), and I had joined them trying to find a job as a TESL teacher. That first time was fine. Everything went smoothly, I laughed at the smells, I thought the fact they would strike several times a month humorous, found it exciting to have to search, very in depth , to find the right lines, and didn't care that it was a little more expensive than any other train i've used before.....It was France, you have to be accommadating, you have to let them slide on things, you have to just shrug your shoulders and say "Well, they ARE French".

After living there for sometime. Those conclusions were nieve of me. I was cooperative because at the time, it felt like a vacation. When using the train system for a few weeks, I was starting to understand why even the French people I had gotten to know, were cursing it. I understood now why my parents were so adament about me getting a car instead. Now to drone on here about this but I have a perfect example of how this opinion is just not my own.

I met another TESL teacher through my parents that knew her parents. Her name was Riene. She was born , and raised, just outside the Periphere of Paris in La Defense. Her mother was from Cameroon, and her father was Parisian and had travelled frequently throughout Europe growing up. She was highly intelligent whille being a little less frigid and standoffish than most Parisians. As we were travelling one night, trying to find a restaurant called "Chez Papa" on the Left Bank, we got lost on the train system. Now, here are two women, both who can speak French. One who had lived in France for most of her life, the other that had been there for a while now. It wasn't like we were amatures. Yet, even with the help of the SNCF ticketing agents, and train employees, we ended up being an hour late because of an error on the electronic line board. Even once we corrected the error that was the SNCF's fault, we still had trouble trying to find the proper line to get us to the area of our destination. If we were visiting , maybe it would have been a fun adventure. Your patient when your on vacation. You don't have to be at work in the morning, your not meeting people for dinner, your not in a rush. When you have to LIVE through everyday problems of the train system, you are not so patient.

If you are a visitor to Paris for a few days, there is really no way around using the train system at some point. The metro is a little easier to use and several of the ticketing agents do speak some English. If though, you are travelling throughout France for a few weeks and think to do so via Train, I would HIGHLY suggest you change you mind. Believe it or not, renting a car would not only be easier, but cheaper, and faster, and 100% more reliable. Also, every car you rent is now equiped with a GPS system.

I adore using Trains. I love the Train systems in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the UK, and even Spain's is "tolerable". The SNCF though, really is an unorganized, unreliable, unmitigated MESS.  

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