France says adieu to sleeping-car trains

A great railway era ended when France's legendary Train Bleu pulled into the station at the end of its final journey from Paris to the Riviera yesterday. After 135 years, the French railways have taken their last wagons-lits --  sleeping-cars -- out of service.

With high speed trains and air travel, there were no longer enough customers willing to pay between 251 and 395 euros for a night in bed aboard the elegant blue carriages of the Wagons-Lits. The Train Bleu, which ran between Paris, the Côte d'Azur and the Italian frontier was one of the last three surviving sleeping-car services, along with Luxembourg-Nice and Paris-Briançon. Operating at under one quarter capacity, the 40-year-old old sleeping cars have reached the end of the line, said the SNCF, the state railways.

The SNCF is still operating night trains to the Mediterranean and across the frontiers but their beds are  bare couchettes in four or six-berth compartments. These austere fold-down surfaces are better suited to the young and impoverished customers who still favour the trains de nuit. The couchette night trains have become notorious for the thieves who lift passengers' belongings as they sleep.

For my generation and those before, the Wagons-Lits, with their dark blue and gold livery, stood for the romance of travel in Europe. As a student who could only afford couchettes, I used to admire the wagons lits in London Victoria, the Paris Gare de Lyon and other stations, watching their well-dressed passengers boarding them. Grace of Monaco or Cary Grant was certainly among them, or so we imagined. The last remnant of those Orient Express days is the Train Bleu restaurant, the gloriously opulent brasserie on the first floor of the Gare de Lyon in Paris.

A seven-coach train of wagons-lits will still continue to run across Europe. This is the luxuriously renovated Pullmann Orient Express, which takes customers on very expensive nostalgia trips on the old routes from London and Paris to Venice, Budapest and other points east, including occasionally Istanbul.

To end with a personal note, I met my first wife on a night train, in eastern Turkey, when I was a  student.   

[Catherine Deneuve plays French rail nostalgia] 

 

Comments

[Nick]

I never took the Train Bleu either, but following in your footsteps I and my second wife took the sleeper from Monte Carlo to Paris 8 years ago after a holiday because we had no car.

I remember the bedlinen was impressively clean if a bit thin, and we stopped outside Paris for hours waiting for the dawn.

I was sort of romantic, but I think I'll prefer the TGV in future !

[fleurdumal]

It's sad that the old trains are gone. It was more fun when life was slower and there was time to flirt in the dining car.

[Actu75]

I have stylish memories of two sleeping cars..in Turkey and GB. One took me from Istanbul to Ankara. All Ataturk wooden style. The other back in 76 from London to Glasgow and back. Ah... the kettle, the tea, the shortbreads (I guess) and the deep sleeping long after the London arrival, courtesy of the "chef de train".
Oh and yes, the Paris Briançon, too, best option for the slowest train in France probably...
Strange that no one immediately noted that at least the Train Bleu was never on strike... Les tontons flingueurs Anglo Saxons de service auraient-ils la gâchette rouillée?

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Memories are made of this: the fearsome small train guards with the stars on their caps, a glitter of power in their eyes....two Scots girls with rucksacks asked me what he was saying to them. "He says this is a sleeper only train. You have to buy a ticket for couchettes." They chatted together, saying to me: "We'll think about it." "What are they saying?" asked the martinet. "They are thinking about it." "Tell them to think quick. They're in France now," he snapped. "If they don't buy couchettes I will put them off at the next station." They paid. For the journey between Paris and Calais I had a third of a baguette, a tomato and a tin of sardines. Fearful of the frowns of other passengers I went to the washroom and made up my lunch. There was a loud knock on the door: "Billets s'il vous plait." "Occupe" I called, whereupon another fierce small martinet opened the door with his pass key, took my ticket, punched it and, eyeing the sandwich poised in mid-bite, said: "Bon appetit, Monsieur."

[Frank Schnittger]

For those interested in the question "Is there such a thing as a European identity?" I have written a blog on the topic on the European Tribune website. http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2007/12/10/224559/48

[eygh]

Franck Schnittger,

Congratulation for your interesting diary at European Tribune.

[Mads]

I have no romantic memories to share but Autumn memories of being 'green' and using trains as much as possible for long journeys.
First to Italy (Brescia)across country. We set out from Clermont-Ferrand, changed at Lyon, then on to Geneva, through Customs and on to Milan and then via local train to Brescia. An absolutely wonderful journey as the October day was as clear, crisp and sun-filled as anyone could wish for. The view of lakes and mountains was incredible. We didn't mind the changes and waiting in stations as it gave us time to eat and stretch our legs. We were so glad that we hadn't chosen the 'fast' option of a nearly four hour journey to Paris and then a three and a half(?) by TGV to Milan. We still arrived in Brescia by early evening having enjoyed a trouble-free, relaxing journey.

Contrast this with my recent trip to England. I wanted to arrive in St Pancras on Thursday 15th November to enjoy the station whilst it was still fresh and new. Alas, it was the day of the strikes and I caught the only train that day to Paris; had a two hour tortuous time (like permanent rush-hour in London) crossing Paris via the Metro and arrived at the Eurostar terminal with then a long wait for my afternoon train in a comfortable seating area. The chaos that then ensued to actually get on the train was unbelieveable! After heaving my suitcase above waist height to get it on the x-ray machine conveyor belt, there were two sets of passport control and then steps up and down to the platform. 'They' allow only 15mins to get everyone aboard before departure. (I expect that this is some 'security' measure).
What I want to know is - why in the 21st century cannot anyone design trains so that it is possible to get oneself and one's luggage on a step at the same time and why there is not enough room to turn around with one's suitcase so that it is possible to stack it neatly in luggage spaces designed to take the same number of suitcases as there are people on the train?

St Pancras lived up to its hype in the evening and looked magical. However, my return journey two weeks later was nearly my undoing. One cannot find a sign pointing to Eurostar embarkation without much wandering and searching (dragging aforementioned suitcase - now even heavier);then to try and lift suitcase onto an even higher-off-the-ground x-ray machine (I needed help this time) and then being squashed into a 'waiting area' with hundreds of other people. The then afore-mentioned chaos to get self and suitcase onto the train. Phew! I was exhausted.

You may lament the passing of an era of train travel with luxury and porters (for heavy suitcases) but it could be worse. You could be travelling by Eurostar or TGV. Take the time and trouble to search out cross-country routes on France's heavily-subsidised but clean and comfortable trains staffed by helpful and courteous local attendants who work at stations where it is possible to get on the platform and the train easily and where there is sensible storage space for heavy suitcases!!
Bon voyage!

[azloon]

i remember travelling by sleeper train, in 1951, from chicago to washington, d.c. where my family had recently moved. the train went thru such 'exotic' spots as canton, ohio, a grubby manufacturing town where homeless 'hobos' gathered around fires in switching yards in the middle of the night waiting to 'hop' a freight train to their next adventure. it was occasionally fascinating, but mostly boring, for a 10-year-old and i don't think i ever mourned the passing of sleeping trains. modern airpline havoc however could cause a change of heart. but probably not. i think i'll just not go anywhere.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Another memory of sleeper trains, one that changed my life. 1954, aged18 serving 2 years "conscription" in the British army, stationed in Fontainebleau, with Allied Land Forces Central Europe (ALFCE) we could hitch a U.S. Forces mail-plane from Orly to Naples (AFSOUTH)in uniform, but it was fully loaded so I changed to "civvies", bought a ticket Paris-Naples for £7, a sleeper but fully booked. French trains got cheaper the further you travelled. It was £7 to Nice and £7 to Naples! A rough night followed, snatching sleep in the corridor, the door of the train occasionally flying open, the freezing cold wind, the aching limbs, but then: The Mediterranean! For the first time in my life I saw oranges and lemons on trees with the amazing blue of the Med. as background, and said: "This is for me!"
It may have been my Italian grandmother calling but I spent many years in the Med after demobilisaton. Hols on the Riviera, later as a journalist on the coast,and then Rome, sailing to almost every port from Algeciras to Brindisi, 18 years in Languedoc (See "The Valley of the Butterflies") and Ibiza each winter. Thank you SNCF.

[Terry]

Shame Frank!

Hawking your wares on Charles' site. Does Charles get a penny if I click on your link?

[MARSHALL]

My wife and I are booked on a night train from Nice to Venice early in the New Year. The arrangement is two beds in single compartment. Would this still be operated by SNCF? Is it just the Train Bleu that has been terminated?

[peter]

I have taken the Orient Express on the route Boulogne - Paris - Brenner - Venice.

It is something to do once - but once only !

A painfully slow journey (over 24 hrs) with no sleep due to the movement and noises.

Peter

[JuanE]

MADS

Sorry to hear the nightmarish journey you had on Eurostar. I take that route very often and its usually very smooth and pleasant. Having said that its true that St Pancras is lacking signs to the Eurostar badly. If you get off the tube you have no clue which way to go! Nevertheless, the train does remain a much better option than say planes, where now flying is becoming a very unpleasant experience with hours of standing in line before the xray machines, ridiculously small seating space, unless you fly business which is ridiculously expensive (and in some cases you get the same seat as economy and only get awful food as compensation for the higher price) and unreliability on the departing and arrival times.

Perhaps then sleeping trains will make a come back when railroads develop further to offer longer destinations i.e. a TGV style train accross all of Europe. I hear that the different European train companies are getting together to stregthen their offerings to compete with air travel. At the rate of deterioration of the flying experience, night trains may become a very appealing choice.

[Pierre B]

Marshall, rest assured that a 1, 2 or 3 berth per cabin service still exists between France and Italy, as opposed to the less luxurious couchettes (6 in 2nd class or 4 in 1st class per cabin). See Artesia, subsidiary of the SNCF and Trenitalia.

[Frank Schnittger]

"Shame Frank!

Hawking your wares on Charles' site. Does Charles get a penny if I click on your link?" Terry

It's a fee blogosphere, Terry, I thought you would appreciate that! Next you will be charging us for your opinions...

The upside for Charles is that he doesn't have to moderate my stuff here. I thought it was time I gave him a few days off. His blogs have been rather busy lately, and apparently he does have a day job.

[Terry]

Frank:

At my office, my opinion is will cost you $200 an hour. (not bad w/the euro exchange rate)

Here, my opinions are for free.

You get what you pay for in both cases.

[Maggie G]

Terry,

Are you telling us that your opinions here on the blog are worthless because they're free?

You mean if I pay you $200 you'll give me a different, more valuable opinion?

Oh Terry! I'm counting my money as fast as I can! Just dying to know what you REALLY think about socialism!!

[Terry]

Yes, Frank. It was self-effacing humor. I never take myself too seriously.

or you, ehehe

[joe voypick]

In the 60s, I travelled by sleepers between Chicago,St Louis and Detroit. Service was great and arrival was about 7:30 am, just in time for business. My last trip was on the final train before service was stopped between ST Louis and Detroit. I was the only passenger and spent a good portion of the time talking to the porter.The City of New Orleans has always been a favorite song of mine. Wonder why?

[Caprece]

I remember taking the 'wagon lit' from Paris to Montpelier...I think, somewhere in that vincity during the early 80's. It remains a distinctive memoire of my life as an American ex-patriate.

[Levent Mollamustafaoglu]

My thoughts about trains and train stations http://leventstravelogue.blogspot.com/2006/11/trains_29.html