How to read an SNCF train time
Scheduled time, re-estimated time, and what actually matters on the day
A train time is read on two levels, and mixing them up is what makes most people miss their train.
The scheduled time
This is the planned service, published in advance in SNCF's GTFS. It does not move during the day: it is a commitment made months earlier, when the transport plan was drawn up.
It is there to help you plan a trip. It is not there to help you run for a platform.
The re-estimated time
This is a forecast published by the source, not a confirmed passage time. It can change. A reported delay is not necessarily the final delay.
Pages show the available times and delays. A reported time can also repeat the scheduled time when no estimate is provided.
What this site does not do
It does not turn an elapsed time into a confirmed passage. On a train page, the next stop is estimated from the available times and explicitly labelled as such. Using the schedule is indicated when reported times are missing. Without a usable time, no time is invented.
A train announced on time can fall behind five minutes later: what you see is the last published state, not a promise.
Where these times come from
From SNCF's SIRI Lite estimated timetable feed, redistributed by transport.data.gouv.fr under the ODbL and Etalab licences, and from SNCF's GTFS for the scheduled times. No undocumented API, no content scraped from SNCF's website.
This site is independent and is not affiliated with SNCF. For a claim, a refund or a ticket, you have to go to the carrier.
Which time should I check before leaving?
Check the reported times and the carrier's announcements. A re-estimated time is still a forecast; the schedule provides a reference when no update is available.
Why are the two times sometimes identical?
The source may forecast the scheduled time or reuse the schedule when no new estimate is available. Matching times do not confirm that the train passed on time.
How many minutes late counts as a delay?
The displayed thresholds classify reported delays. They do not prove the final arrival delay; missing data does not mean zero delay.