2023-09-07 16:51:50
This summer, SNCF beat its 2022 record with 24 million passengers on the main lines – TGV and Intercités in France -, taking advantage of a “desire to stay in France” and ecological concerns, according to the company.
” That’s excellent news. (…) The Covid period is well behind us, the French traveled a lot this summer”welcomed Thursday, September 7, the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet, to the Association of Transport and Mobility Journalists (AJTM).
An increase of 4%
This is an increase of 4% in the number of travelers, after already summer 2022 “exceptional” with a catch-up effect after the health crisis and “a real desire for the train”he commented. “The French, for a long time, take the train in the summer, and they have largely anticipated their trips” by getting their tickets earlier, he added.
One in two long-distance tickets was purchased more than 25 days before departure. The TGV occupancy rate exceeded 80%, and 40% of them were full – a percentage which may not seem high but which is understandable because many TGVs also serve destinations less popular with summer visitors.
The order of magnitude was the same last year, but SNCF Voyageurs sold 450,000 additional seats this year. The Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean were particularly popular this summer, while growth was driven by “green destinations” notably the Alps (+ 6%), Burgundy and Alsace (+ 15%), noted Christophe Fanichet.
TER use is increasing
As for the TER, they saw their attendance increase by 10% in July and August, with spectacular performances in Occitanie, Pays de la Loire and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. For the manager, “there is truly a desire to stay in France, a desire for ecology, and the train was the demonstration of this”.
“We have not seen a drop in the number of passengers on our trains with the arrival of competition” of the Italian companies Trenitalia and the Spanish Renfe, noted the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, for whom “it’s leisure that boosts rail traffic”. Business travel is still down 10 to 15% compared to pre-Covid, he regretted.
International high-speed trains (including Eurostar, Thalys and Ouigo in Spain) simultaneously transported 6 million passengers (+ 4%) and night trains 215,000 sleepers on rails (+ 15%).
To cope with the success of its high-speed trains – and to respond to criticism from travelers disappointed at not finding available seats – SNCF Voyageurs must expand its TGV fleet, by purchasing new generation trains expected from of 2025, by continuing the mid-life transformation of trains into Ouigo with more seats, and by initiating a program (called « Botox ») to keep older trains running longer.
The idea is also to make the TGVs run more, in particular by optimizing maintenance periods. “Our goal is to make our fleet profitable” of TGV, noticed the leader. And although the number of trains has generally decreased in recent years, the number of seats offered has increased. “by more than 15%” since 2013, the SNCF having purchased double-deck trains.
Prices under debate
Asked about the price of TGVs, often considered high, Christophe Fanichet pointed out that one in two leisure tickets was sold this summer for less than €45. One in two travelers has used an Avantage card or taken a low-cost Ouigo TGV, according to him.
If the rules for calculating ticket prices with the « yield management » (prices increasing as the train fills) were not changed, prices increased more quickly because the French “prepared their trips earlier”, explained the leader of the SNCF.
“SNCF Voyageurs has increased the price of TGV tickets – which is not subsidized – by an average of 5% this year, while its costs have increased by 13%. he added. It is still too early to discuss price increases for next year because the group’s budget has not been finalized.
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