FOR THE COMFORT OF ALL, THE CENTRE-VAL DE LOIRE REGION AND SNCF VOYAGEURS ARE EXPERIMENTING BIKE RESERVATIONS ON BOARD THE MOST BUSY RÉMI TRAINS DURING THE HIGH TOURIST SEASON ON WEEKENDS
To support cyclists' desire for trains, the Centre-Val de Loire Region and SNCF Voyageurs are launching from 29 April to 1er
October 2023 a reservation experiment for non-folding bicycles boarded on weekends and public holidays on four heavily used lines.
Cycling tourism in the Center Val de Loire is growing with 1 million cycle tourists per year and many of them use the train to reach the region or travel there with their bikes.
To guarantee everyone a smooth journey, between April 29 and October 1, 2023, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, a dedicated platform will be made available so that you can reserve your bike space for 1 euro on the following trains:
- Rémi Express trains Paris – Orléans – Bourges (trains starting with 39XX)
- Train Rémi Express Paris – Montargis -Nevers (trains starting with 59XX)
- Rémi Express trains Paris – Orléans or Paris – Orléans- Tours (trains whose number begins with 14XX)
- Trains Rémi Orléans – Tours (trains starting with 16XXX)
To travel in good standing during this period, it will therefore be necessary for a traveler taking his non-folding bicycle on board these trains to hold a passenger ticket and a reservation per bicycle, to be printed and attached to the handlebars of the bicycle during the trip.
The reservation platform for bicycle spaces on these trains will be open from Monday 3 April.
An experiment to guarantee the comfort of all
This experiment responds to the sharp increase in the number of bicycles on board certain trains and to the joint desire of the Centre-Val de Loire Region and SNCF Voyageurs to improve the comfort of all passengers (cyclists or not) on board. Remi trains.
Indeed, in recent years, the success of cycle tourism has led to situations of overcrowding of bicycles on board certain trains during the weekends of the months of May to October. This has led to a strong presence of bicycles outside the dedicated spaces, which presents a safety risk for travelers and makes access to seats more difficult and restrictive.
Reception operations planned in certain stations
In order to accompany people equipped with a bicycle in the best possible conditions, SNCF Voyageurs will set up reception operations in the stations of Paris-Austerlitz, Orléans, Tours and Blois.
« This success of cycle tourism is accompanied by a significant attendance in our Rémi trains. This is very good news and we are delighted, but this success must be controlled for the comfort of all travellers, cyclists and non-cyclists alike, so the Region has given its agreement to SNCF Voyageurs to experiment with the reservation of bicycles on board. of the busiest trains on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays »
Philippe Fournié, Vice-President of the Center Val de Loire Region
« We experienced difficult situations last summer, with cyclists who did not know until the last moment whether they could get on the train or there were so many bicycles that they interfered with movement on board. We are therefore going to experiment this year with a reservation system on traffic where we regularly have more requests than spaces available. By booking, travelers will be guaranteed to board their bike without difficulty on the selected train or, failing that, they will be able to choose to leave their bike in a shelter at the station or to rent a bike at their destination. Our goal is that everyone can travel serenely. »
Hélène Marquet, Regional Director SNCF Voyageurs TER Center Val de Loire
Sustainable mobility encouraged by the Region for more than ten years
The Region encourages sustainable mobility and pursues the ambition to develop bike-train intermodality for daily travel as well as cycle tourism, as provided for in its regional plan for bicycle mobility voted in October 2020.
Thus, in coordination with the Pays de la Loire Region, the Centre-Val de Loire Region and SNCF Voyageurs have specially fitted out 5 trains on the Orléans-Tours-Nantes-Le Croisic line, which throughout the year can accommodate free- service up to 33 bikes. During the summer, from June 10, 2023 to September 17, 2023, the capacity for bicycles is increased to 83 bicycles with an accompanying service. For these “Loire à Vélo” trains, reserving bicycle spaces on board is free and optional, but it is strongly recommended to have a guaranteed place for your bicycle.
The Centre-Val de Loire Region and SNCF Voyageurs are once again offering the Tours-Vierzon-Bourges line, from 1er July to September 3, 2023 the reception and boarding of 25 bicycles by train on 2 daily round trips to follow the "Cher à Vélo" cycle route.
Finally, the Centre-Val de Loire Region and its transport services extend each year, on more Rémi bus lines, a service for transporting up to 5 bicycles.
Several lines of the Rémi 28, 37, 41 or 45 coaches are already concerned, including the Châteaux shuttle linking Blois to the châteaux of Chambord, Beauregard or Cheverny, or the Rémi coach line linking Tours, Amboise and the Château de Chenonceau.
In support of this policy, most stations and stops have open bicycle shelters or free access arches allowing you to park your bicycle for the duration of your trip. Many stations have secure bicycle shelters.
REMINDER: Conditions and instructions on board trains
