TGV < ICE.

Dear France,

Your train system is atrocious and disgusting. You market your trains as being the best in Europe, and are the only network that absolutely requires additional fares for railpass holders. Your additional fares are not justified. I would rather travel on Regional trains.

- Every other western country uses numerical identifiers for their platforms. Why must you use letters. It's as if you're being different for the point of being different.

- Every other western country has the same train, on the same platform, at the same time, for it's regular run. ICE1001 will always be on platform 4, at 8:30am for instance. Always. Guests can look at multiple small departures boards, or quickly glance at a big one. Having trains often departing on different platforms, and only updating your big screen at the last moment causes two major problems. 1) Every passenger for the entire train station stands in front of it, staring it at, causing problems passing through the station, or seeing the screen. 2) Every rushes at the last minute to the platform.

- Your "First Class" is backwards, and worse than 2nd class Romanian or 'RE' style trains. They are more cramped, more uncomfortable, and cause much more sore ass than any other train we've been on. The cabin is over heated, and what the hell is the deal with no powerpoints? We've been on second class RE trains that have powerpoints, yet you can't put them in first class ? Get Real. Do ANY business travelers regularly use the trains ?

- Please remember that non-French speaking people, as well as tourists, use your trains. If it's good enough for every other country to announce things in as many as 4 different languages, it wouldn't kill you. It is pure and simple ARROGANCE to not cater to German, Italian or even Dutch speaking travellers. And that's without even mentioning the language that's widely known and identified as being the international language.

- Two trains, two separate route numbers, one platform, one destination. What the fuck is this ? If your engines can't cope with longer trains, run more trains, more frequently, like everyone else. This bullshit of having TWO separate trains, going from Lyon to Nice, leaving the same platform, at the same time is stupid and utterly nonsensical.

- Reservation essential? This is just a hollow ploy for money. The carriage is not even half full (probably because your train system is so fucking useless it's not worth paying for first class.)

If I NEVER had to catch another TGV, I'd be a very, very happy little man. I don't care that the RE (sorry, TER, you have to be different again don't you) trains are slower, and stop more often. I'd prefer to be on them. At least they have power.