The French train operator which refused to accept Interrail passes on services in the southeast of the country has swiftly reversed its decision.
On Monday the regional rail enterprise running Transport Express Régional (TER) services in southeastern France said passes issued by Interrail – and its worldwide variant, Eurail – would no longer be accepted on its trains.
The apparent ban in the “SudPAC” region of France (Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) covered the coastal corridor from Marseille via Toulon, Cannes and Nice to Monaco and the Italian border town of Ventimiglia.
In addition, regional trains from Lyon to Marseille, serving Avignon and Arles, were off limits – as well as some of the most scenic stretches of railway in France.
But on Tuesday Renaud Muselier, president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, announced in a tweet that the prohibition was lifted.
“May French and European users be reassured: the Interrail pass is, and will remain, well accepted on the TER network in Region Sud.
“We remain committed to a clear strategy: carbon-free, useful and efficient transport for our regular users!”
Mark Smith, who runs the Seat61.com international rail website, said: “I’m so glad to see common sense prevail, so international travellers can still enjoy touring the south of France using an Interrail or Eurail pass – just as they have for 50 years.”
The Utrecht-based organisation that runs the Interrail scheme had responded to the initial ban by telling pass holders that they should buy full-fare tickets and reclaim them – and that it would pay any fines incurred by travellers unaware of the rule. It told travellers to keep receipts for tickets or fines and claim them back
The move was widely applauded by rail passengers.
Meanwhile a traveller named Andy Allan speculated on Twitter about the reason for the original ban.
“When we were there a fortnight ago the Cannes-Nice-Monaco TERs were packed, standing room only on some of the Nice-Monaco services, despite being double-deckers.
“I wonder if they are struggling for capacity? Could do with a 20 minute interval instead of 30, if possible.”
