Crowded trains, piled up suitcases, stifling heat… A passenger recounts the ordeal of Toulouse-Carcassonne train journeys
For several months, a Toulouse teacher has since described the hell of her regular trips when she takes the TER Toulouse-Carcassonne train to go to work. Stifling heat, overcrowded trains or piled up suitcases produce the hellish journey.
Pregnant women sitting on the toilets, piles of suitcases, impossibility of boarding the train… Passengers regularly taking the TER Toulouse-Carcassonne deplorable deplorable transport conditions, especially on Fridays. “I take the train to go to work, there is always a malfunction, work on the line but then when there are train cancellations, it’s simply hell”, testifies a forty-something who takes this train three times per week.
She tells, with photos and videos in support, that it is not uncommon for travelers to be forced to lower the suitcases superimposed at the level of the door to hope to be able to descend to their stop. “I reported it via several letters to the SNCF, I also explained it to the controllers, to the agents I meet, nothing is happening”, annoys this resident of the Toulouse suburbs who has been operating these routes since September. last. She also takes the fresh example of the train she took last week. “I took the train around 6:30 p.m. in Carcassonne and I arrived at 9:30 p.m. at Matabiau station in Toulouse, even the bikes overtook us so much we were driving slowly,” she adds. According to the SNCF website, the journey lasts between 1h and 2h30 maximum.
200 euros per month
According to her, the 200 euros per month she pays are not worth the service rendered. She still gives the example of a Tuesday morning when she went to the Toulouse station to catch her train. “The day before, it was displayed on the application, I rechecked in the evening, it was still there and when I arrived at the station it had simply disappeared, there were 20 of us waiting on the platform”, recalls this teacher. So his only solution now is to leave several hours in advance to be sure of having a seat on one of the morning regional trains and above all to ensure his arrival at work on time.
And with the arrival of fine weather, this teacher worries: “People are going to start boarding with their bikes, there are going to be even more people, I don’t know how it’s going to be, it’s already hell “. Moreover, she got wind of a strike notice this Friday issued by train switchers. She decided not to take the risk of waiting for hours at the station and opted for her personal car. Contacted by us, the SNCF has not yet responded to our requests.