Train, Train Go Away

Last year, I got to experience Les Grèves, the national train strike, which affected my entire trip to France. This year isn’t as bad, but there’s just enough discontent and mouvement social to throw a wrench into any schedule. Morning trains are on time and uncrowded, but afternoons are shot, and the trains are packed. Maybe it’s because train workers know people are tired and just want to get home, so what better time to throw in an hour or more delay to remind you that they’re not happy with the current state of affairs. 

As if I didn’t get the message on the return trip from Avignon (which delayed me 2.5 hours for a 1-hour train ride), I ventured out a second day to Narbonne going an hour in the other direction. The 17:11 return train to Montpellier bound for Avignon Centre was first 10 min late, then 20, and then a Barcelona-bound high speed train sat on our platform (going the opposite way). Finally, I boarded the 18:11 train figuring the 17:11 would be passed by it’s hour-later sibling, and yes, that turned out to be the case.

The 17:56 Port Bou train will arrive before the 17:11 Avignon Centre train. Better to jump on the 18:11 Avignon Centre train, because the 17:11 has disappeared into thin air.