Last train from Bayonne to SJPDP

[Lynn2023]

I am arriving in Bayonne at 18:26 and the train to SJPDP is at18:37! If I miss this train Is there another means of transport to SJPDP ?

 

[Anhalter]

You arrive by train? Then you will not miss the train. The regional train should wait for the TGV and the station is tiny.
But it is the last one, you miss it you'll either have to take a taxi or sleep in Bayonne.

 

[t2andreo]

The staff at Bayonne always hold the last TER train to SJPdP for arriving passengers from the TGV from Paris.

Do not worry.

 

[Lynn2023]

You arrive by train? Then you will not miss the train. The regional train should wait for the TGV and the station is tiny.
But it is the last one, you miss it you'll either have to take a taxi or sleep in Bayonne.

Yes, I'm arriving by train from Paris. Thank you for your very helpful information.

 

[donalomahony]

Bayonne is a beautiful place for an overnight if necessary. Accommodation recommendations from Gronze below.

Refuge St. JAQUES is a grand little Albergue that accepts reservations, beside the Cathedral and near lots of restaurants. Credential also available there.

That said, advice in thread above is sound.

Bayonne - Saint-Jean-de-Luz | Camino del Norte | Gronze.com

A los peregrinos de largo recorrido os proponemos iniciar el Camino del Norte en Bayonne-Baiona, capital del País Vasco Francés e importante cruce de caminos, no en vano pasan por ella tres rutas jacobeas. Sin desmerecer a quienes comienzan en Irún, arrancar desde un lugar tan emblemático como...

www.gronze.com

Open Gronze in Chrome for automatic machine translation into English (or most other languages).

 

[jrewins]

In 2022, I arrived on the last train into Bayonne and was greeted by crickets. My arrival was delayed because of a rail strike two weeks earlier that changed my connection from CDG into Bayonne. The last connecting train to SJPDP had departed ~30 minutes before I arrived (I learned later). There were NO personnel in the station for either train systems, so no one to ask for assistance…. and although I found a couple of locals who were willing to help, the language barrier was insurmountable.

That’s a long-winded way of saying; No, they don’t hold the train for you.

I was fortunate to find a bartender in a nearby bistro that spoke English and he arranged for a taxi to take me to SJPDP for the paltry sum of only €150. (Cash only - Tip included). The bartender did suggest that I spend the night in Bayonne, have a nice French dinner (in his Bistro, of course), and take the train to SJPDP the following morning - a suggestion that in hindsight I wish I had taken. It would have saved me ~€100…. and I would have had a nice French dinner!

 

[Kathar1na]

That’s a long-winded way of saying; No, they don’t hold the train for you.

Thanks for the reality check . The train from Bayonne to SJPP is a local train for locals with eight stops and it is not just serving pilgrims. They want to get home in the evening, the train driver wants to get home after a day's work, and French Railway tries not to have to pay for overtime of their staff and compensation to passengers due to delays. The train may be held for a few minutes when the TGV from Paris is delayed but not "always" for any length of time.

Usually, 11 minutes is plenty of time to change trains in Bayonne but it is best to be prepared for alternative options. Buen Camino to everyone who will pass through there in 2024!

 

[Kathar1na]

I saw a "What is new in 2024" announcement for Line 54 Bayonne-SJPP with the timetable for 2024 valid until 5 July 2024. Apparently some new train connections have been added: On Saturdays and Sundays in June and July, the last train departs at 21:00 from Bayonne and on Fridays the last departure from Bayonne is at 20:18. Trains with the highest demand (day and/or time) are also marked.

Line 54 was apparently the line with the highest number of cancellations in the region in 2023. Reason: Lack of staff. There is usually a replacement bus on such occasions but sometimes there was none.

Good overview for planning purposes:

https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/Affiche%2054%20Bayonne%20St%20JPP%20du%2010%20d%C3%83%C2%A9c.pdf

(This timetable is something I have only ever seen on the TER website and not on SNCF, Trainline and similar).