Picture scene
French train platform vocabulary: find your way before boarding
Explore a French station platform: le tableau des départs, la voie, le repère de voiture, la ligne de sécurité, le composteur. Tap each, then play Find it.
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In short
On le quai (platform), check le tableau des départs (departure board) for la voie (track number), then find le repère (letter marker) for your voiture (carriage). Stay behind la ligne de sécurité until the train stops.
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Explore the platform: tap a spot, then play Find it
Find:
What do French station announcements say?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le train … entre en gare voie 3. | The train … is arriving at platform 3. |
| Éloignez-vous de la bordure du quai. | Stand back from the platform edge. |
| Le train est annoncé avec un retard de 10 minutes. | The train is delayed by 10 minutes. |
| La composition du train : voitures 1 à 10 en tête. | Train formation: coaches 1 to 10 at the front. |
| Changement de voie | Platform change |
In big French stations, the platform (la voie) is often shown only 20 minutes before departure, so people wait in the hall watching the board. On TGV platforms, overhead markers (A, B, C…) tell you where your voiture will stop: check your ticket's coach number against the board's composition du train.