In message , at 00:59:48 on
Wed, 25 Mar 2009, Andrew Price remarked:
On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:54:37 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

Although the TGV (and the RER) only service one of the three terminal
complexes at CDG. If you have the misfortune to be using the other two,
there's a significant extra leg to the journey.

Well, that depends of what terminals, and what you consider
"significant" to be. There's a VAL connection between the RER station
CDG2 and terminals 1 & 2 (A-F) which is fast and efficient.

I timed it last June and here are my conclusions:

Landed CDG T1 17.43 twenty minutes late, but v quick to gate
long walk/travolators to main building
Bags on carousel 18.10 then short immigration Q, no customs Q
Arrived RER stn1 18.30 more travelators, shuttle-train ride from T1
RER train due 18.35 but it didn't show.
RER train depart 18.48 different platform. Non-stop Gare du Nord.
Gare du Nord arrive 19.08 stay on RER train to Denfert-Rochereau
Denfert-Rochereau 19.25 approx.

It was slightly quicker the other way:

Montparnasse stn 16.15 Metro
Depart Gare du Nord 16.47 Change to RER at Les Halles
Arrived CDG stn1 17.14 Semi-fast.
Reached checkin Q T1 17.26 Shuttle train etc

Terminal 2G is a real pain, though - there is only a bus connection
to the rest of the airport.

The 2E "satellite" is also a fair distance, with yet another shuttle
train to negotiate.
--
Roland Perry