Trenitalia’s Executive class service on the Pari-Lyon line is as good as ever, even if it lacks a little regularity. And if this journey was marred by a major delay, it was well managed and that’s part of the ups and downs of travelling.

At the bottom of the page you’ll find a summary of the articles about this trip to Lyon.

Booking

A few weeks before my trip, I booked a round trip in executive class for 279 euros, which I remember being a few euros less than the same journey in business première with SNCF.

For these two classes, both companies have a flat fare policy: the price is fixed and not subject to yield management according to demand. So there are no discounts to be expected if you book early, and no unpleasant surprises if you book at the last minute. On the other hand, as you will see, the service offered by the two competitors is quite different.

Arrival at the station and boarding

I arrived at the station far too early, a bad habit I’ve acquired in airports where I usually have access to the lounges. After what seemed like an interminable wait spent taking 100 steps in the station (fortunately the Gare de Lyon is huge), boarding finally began.

I head for car 1, at the beginning of the platform, where the Italian airline’s Executive class is still located. There’s a nasty surprise: the catering trolley is still there, blocking the entrance.

A problem of timing and organisation, in any case it shouldn’t happen when you see the time they have to restock.

After waiting a few minutes, I finally got in.

The car

At Trenitalia, the executive class occupies all of car 1, with just 10 seats. Two other classes are available: business and standard.

So this is the car in which I’ll be spending the next two hours.

Each seat swivels 180° to allow passengers to travel heading in the forward direction or face each other if they are travelling together.

And here’s my seat: 1A.

The seat controls (tilt, lights) are on the armrest.

And here’s my view once I’ve settled in. As is often the case, I’ll be alone in the car on this trip.

You have to admit, it’s quite different from what the competition is offering.

The journey and the service

I settle in and all I have to do is wait for everyone to board and for the train to leave. Given the time left I think they could offer a welcome service… but as the catering arrived late this may explain it.

Departure time arrives, the train starts moving and the menu is immediately brought to me. There’s a distinct offer for each moment of the day, and I’m sharing the lunch menu with you here.

Note: in Executive class on Trenitalia, the meal is included in the price of the ticket. For other classes, there is a paying offer of hot and cold dishes which can be ordered online during the journey and brought to your seat.

I place my order and shortly afterwards the train stops. We are told that there has been a technical incident and that further information will be given later.

A few minutes later we were informed that the train was due to be inspected and that we would be kept informed of any decisions taken.

I see the ticket inspector pass through my carriage to go and see the driver. I try to find out a bit more. He reassures me and tells me that Trenitalia has two spare trainsets still available in Paris, so there’s no risk of cancellation if a real technical problem were to occur.

I was afraid that they wouldn’t have any spare trains, given that the track between France and Italy is still cut, which makes it difficult to bring in new trains. But it seems to me that Trenitalia has now set up a maintenance centre in France.

In short, I’m reassured.

In the end, we left about half an hour late.

In the meantime, they bring me my starter and the ticket inspector tells me that they’ll wait to serve the main course until they know whether we’re leaving or not.

I took the cold cuts and cheese platter.

The cold meats are very good, the cheese a little rubbery and the bread dry.

As the train pulls out, my main course is brought to me: Chicken supreme with lemon, honey and bay leaves, fennel, carrots and Verona celery.

The chicken is melt-in-the-mouth delicious, the vegetables good, but they could make an effort with the presentation.

For dessert, I had a strawberry tartlet.

A bit heavy, really ordinary.

The ticket inspector comes back to check the tickets. Very nice, even friendly.

I’ll finish with a cup of tea, and for once, no digestif.

Here I am, all settled in to finish this short journey.

The service

Both the car stewardess and the inspector were very pleasant as usual. And for once, the staff didn’t disappear at the end of the meal to have their lunch

Arrival

Arrived in Lyon 30 minutes late.

Bottom line

Apart from the delay, it was a very pleasant trip. However, efforts could be made on the quality of certain products and presentation, but it remains far superior to the competition.

I used to complain about irregular service with no consistent protocol from one journey to the next, and staff who took a break at the end of my meal and only came back to clear away and offer coffee or other drinks at the end of the journey, but this time everything was fine.

All the articles about this trip to Lyon

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