Who has never run onto a station platform with their suitcase because the train had stopped at the other end? However, there is a way to anticipate where the best place on a platform is to wait for your train.
Taking the train to travel requires a little anticipation. Book your ticket in advance so as not to pay too much and avoid the unpleasant surprise of full trains, prepare your luggage (the number of which is limited on the TGV), check if the train is well maintained or canceled before going to the station… Then, on site, you just have to guess where to position yourself correctly on the platform to board the train in the right place.
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How do you know where exactly the train will stop on the platform? There is a way. Philippe Peray, team manager of train drivers at SNCF, revealed the secret in a wire published on X on April 28, 2024. The trick is to decipher the strange indications that we sometimes see on platform signs. This allows you to know where the train will stop at the platform, explains Philippe Peray. For the trick to work, you must also have in mind the type of train you are going to board (TGV, TER, etc.).
What do the signs on the station platform mean?
Depending on the type of train, and therefore its length, the stop is not made at the same place on a platform. “ If the train is very small, we are not going to send it to the end of the platform for nothing. If the train is long, you must avoid the queue being 'off the platform' by stopping too early “, remember Philippe Peray on “ We are going to put up a sign that will help the train driver to stop in the right place, depending on the train, and therefore its length. »
| Sign | Meaning |
|---|---|
| TT | All trains stop at the end of the platform at the indicated location |
| 1V, 3V, 6V… | Stopping small trains (TER, Corail cars), depending on the number of cars on the train |
| TGV 1, TGV 2 | Stopping TGVs with one or two trains |
| L60, L120, L180… | Stopping the train according to its length |
The sign is positioned at the point on the platform where the driver must stop his train. With the exception of the TT sign, with all other signs, the objective is for the train to be centered in the middle of the platform, thus making it easier for passengers to board.
What happens at stations without signs? “ It is up to the driver to adapt to the situation and manage to put his train completely on the platform. All while trying to center it in the middle “, replies Philippe Peray. Generally, drivers “pull to the end” of the platform. As a traveler, it is better to wait for the train at the head of the platform, to minimize the distance to travel when it arrives.
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