Ouigo high-speed rail proves fuss-free on Paris-Bordeaux

Getting around Europe is often easier by train than plane with extensive regional and high-speed rail networks providing plenty of options.

Having successfully infiltrated Paris, like many others, for the Olympic Games, I decided to entrust Ouigo with the task of whisking my partner and me to and from Bordeaux.

Ouigo is the low-cost high-speed brand under the TGV umbrella of French high-speed trains or lignes à grande vitesse. Operated by SNCF, the national rail company, this no-frills, 2013-minted service uses the same network of high-speed lines as the full-fare TGV inOui services.

Ouigo’s fleet of bright blue and pink colored TGV Duplex double-decker high-speed trains are built by Alstom. Each train set has eight second class passenger cars and two power cars.

Up to 634 passengers can be carried per train set, 20% more than the inOui full-service offering which has both first class and a bar car on board. Those comprising two coupled sets, like ours, carry 1,268 or the same as six Air France A321-200s for reference.

A blue Ouigo train sits next to a pink and white inOui train at the loading platforms

TGV Ouigo Duplex train. Image: Karun Mukhi

There are no stations on the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique line to the southwestern city of Bordeaux. Access to cities and towns like Tours or Angoulême en route are provided by flying junctions which allow high-speed trains to access stations on the 99 mph capable conventional network running roughly parallel to the high-speed line.

With five Ouigo and 21 inOui weekday services in each direction departing between 6am and 10pm, it’s safe to say that the 2017 LGV extension from Tours to Bordeaux, the “Sud” part of the line, has been a roaring success.

The budget seats on board, laid out in a 2-2 configuration, feature no recline or headrest adjustment.

A 2-2 configuration aboard the Ouigo rail car that features grey seating with pink and blue headrests.

Pink and blue, Ouigo style. Image: Karun Mukhi

Legroom, though, is plentiful. Absent are any signs of power sockets. Most seating is in an airline style layout with some bays of four for larger groups like mine.

A man's knees are seen within a reasonable distance from the seatback in front of him.

Excellent legroom for a budget operator. Image: Karun Mukhi

Half of the seats face either direction; no Shinkansen style seats swiveling here. A sturdy, if narrow, tray table folds out from the seat in front.

A laptop is seen on the seat's tray table. The laptop is slightly wider than the table.

Strudy but narrow tray table. Image: Karun Mukhi

The four-seat bays have a semi folding fixed table in place.

A large blue foldable table is in service with some pastries sitting atop it.

Foldable center table for 4-bay seats. Image: Karun Mukhi

Luggage racks for larger items can be found at the ends on both decks. The overhead racks on the upper deck are more spacious but cannot hold an airline style carry-on suitcase.

The overhead racks on the lower deck can barely accommodate a laptop bag. Instead, the space under one’s seat is the best option for small and medium sized items. A few coaches feature 3-1 seating on the lower deck which is ideal for families and solo travelers alike.

Luggage racks sit full at the front of the train car.

Well used luggage racks aboard TGV Ouigo. Image: Karun Mukhi

Ouigo does not have ticket counters or physical tickets. Every ticket must be purchased online. Our €44 Ouigo Plus tickets included an upgrade, for €9, that allowed for additional baggage beyond the included cabin bag, seat selection and access to the onboard ‘Ouifi’ Wi-Fi service.

Wi-Fi service was acceptable and worked throughout, though slowly, with my speed test measuring just 2.89 Mbps. The portal had a basic moving map with a speedometer along with a few movies and TV shows.

There is no service on board apart from one solitary trash collection mid-journey. On the return trip, a ticket checker passed through but did not scan any tickets. In Paris, tickets are scanned before platform entry. Also of note are the lack of announcements in anything other than rapid-fire French.

From an accessibility standpoint, these Duplex coaches, annoyingly, have two steps down to enter each carriage. A staff-operated ramp is required for those with limited mobility. There are accessible seats on the lower deck along with an accessible restroom.

Stairs leading into the lower deck of the Ouigo rail car.

Accessibility impediment on TGV Ouigo. Image: Karun Mukhi

The restrooms upstairs are airplane sized but were clean and functional with pink toilet paper to match the Ouigo blue and pink color scheme.

A small bathroom on the train with pink toilet paper.

Small but functional toilets on board. Image: Karun Mukhi

Overall, both journeys were absolutely trouble free. Our non-stop southbound service took 123 minutes for its 499 km or 310 mile route. On the return trip we stopped twice, adding 24 minutes overall. Très vitesse indeed.

In both directions we left on time, arriving six minutes late in Bordeaux and two minutes early on the return. The trains are quiet and ride very well, particularly if seated in the middle of the carriage. A speed of 200 mph is dealt with in a fuss-free manner; a look out of the window reveals the actual rate of progress.

France has banned flights on routes that can be covered in less than 150 minutes by train. With this product at this price, there’s a whole lot of price conscious travelers who are instead saying “oui” to Ouigo.

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Featured image credited to Karun Mukhi