Post #4377089

2026-07-13 06:41 UTC

Also what SNCF Gares & Connections doesn't want you to know: there's an underground passage at the end of the platforms in Gare de l'Est, marked as emergency exit. Platforms 11-12 even have an old sign to the metro station, I suppose they forgot to remove it and I'm the only one to venture this far in ages? But why would we facilitate passenger flow to connect between trains when we can get a crowd of people walking 10 minutes back & forth the main hall & do inefficient ticket checks? #SNCFail

Replies (4)

@cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social 2026-07-13 06:48

Final boss of the day: platform is announced and a big queue forms to get our tickets checked. Thankfully, Strasbourg's station square is surrounded by hotels so there was plenty of choice and prices were very reasonable for an unplanned out-of-pocket expense. All in all, it's amazing how smartphones are a game changer in these situations: I'm certainly savvy but I could easily figure out a few train+hotel combinations & book them myself rather than further crowding the overloaded ticket desk.

Open ##4377091
@mlouise@localization.cafe 2026-07-13 08:03

@cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social Could it be that this tunnel is impacted by the ongoing works to create a pedestrian tunnel between Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est (opening next year)? [edit: see e.g. https://www.paris.fr/pages/un-tunnel-pieton-reliera-les-gares-de-l-est-et-du-nord-en-2027-34968]

Open ##4377092
@sintzoff@mast.eu.org 2026-07-13 08:31

@cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social at Marseille Saint Charles, there is also an underpass that has been closed for at least thirty years. It could be useful for passengers coming from Paris (usually on platforms B to G) having a connection to Aubagne/Toulon/Hyères (usually on platforms 3 or 5) https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1183878024

Open ##4377097
@corentin@masto.bike 2026-07-13 12:45

@cycling_on_rails@mastodon.social If I remember correctly, the underpass was still used until last year for connections between the metro and the Transilien platforms (13-22). It is now closed during the construction of the new link to Magenta/Gare du Nord and will reopen next year with elevators.

Open ##4377099