There are various
RER ("reseau éxpresse régionnale," I think that stands for -- regional express network) trains running in and around
Paris, France. They have letters of the alphabet to designate them, and in the
City itself, they
interface with the métro system.
Perhaps you've noticed them here, or ridden them.
There has been an electronic pass (NAVIGO) out for quite some time now, but since I don't commute or travel much, I still buy physical tickets. Your métro/bus/tramway tickets do not work on the RER system. At certain points in
Paris proper they do, but not much. I take the
RER B line sometimes, and it's run by the
SNCF on one side of
Gare du Nord, and the
RATP on the other. The drivers must change there.
It's an inherent glitch, if you know what I mean. There are often delays and cancellations throughout the system.
The RER system has a reputation for being unsafe, and that could be, but mostly, I find them uncomfortable and not user-friendly. The stations are rarely accessible, the platforms are usually exposed to the weather, for your long trips good luck finding a train with a toilet, the human vendors are rare and tend to be indifferent or badly informed, and the machines do not make it clear how you can save money by perhaps buying round-trip tickets, or ten-packs of tickets ("carnets") for a nice discount if you take that trip fairly often. I just don't like any of the RERs.
I was trying to get from up near CDG-Roissy
Airport to
Stade de France in Saint-Denis, and traffic everywhere had been a mess all day, on the roads, everything, everywhere, starting in the morning. This is not all that unusual for Paris on a Friday, and if it rains, forget about it, you are talking major delays. There'd been a "serious accident" on the RER B line, so there were lots of delays, cancellations, computer screens which are frequently out of order anyway, and so on. I was trying to find a train from Aulnay-Sous-Bois here, and eventually got one to
Le Bourget, where I had to change trains again. It's likely I could have taken a bus toward Saint-Denis from Aulnay, or even Le Bourget, but I only had two tickets on me, and I wasn't sure how to do that, nor was I thrilled about the intermittant rain (I'd chosen a
Spring hat for the day -- straw).
So, this is what it was like. About four hours of commuting time for three hours of work. Not worth it, but
I've been unemployed or underemployed here for 13 years now, so I do as much as I can to keep my hand in. You wouldn't want to end up on the benefits system here in
France -- it's mighty slim pickings, and not worth the hassle. About a third of the
French who qualify won't take it -- too proud. They don't have food stamps here, by the way (gleaning is legal, however).
Since I bought only one set of round-trip tickets, that cost me just under five euros. It's really not good value for your money.
Always keep your ticket on you or validate your NAVIGO pass -- you might be asked to show proof that you paid for your journey.
Believe it or not or believe it, I really like France and consider myself darn lucky I came over here from the
USA nearly 20 years ago. Overall, it's a much better quality of life than I had in
Ohio or
New York. You have to take the good with the bad in life.
copyright
2013 Lisa B. Falour,
B.S.,
M.B.A. all rights reserved
cutecatfaith.com
Dailymotion: LisaFalour
YouTube: CUTECATFAITH, SLOBOMOTION
- published: 20 Apr 2013
- views: 2172