A Ouigo TGV in Paris, October 6, 2023 (AFP / Thomas SAMSON)
The SNCF promises that the supply of seats on TGVs will increase by 15% within 10 years in France, thanks in particular to the increase in the number of low-cost Ouigo trains, according to one of its managers.
“We are going to increase the TGV offer by 25% by 2034: 15% in France and 10% internationally,” declared the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, Christophe Fanichet, to La Tribune Dimanche.
While user associations have spoken out against the lack of available TGV seats and the high cost of tickets, Mr. Fanichet recalled that “the increase in supply will be based in part on an increase in the number of Ouigo trains , at 30% of the total, compared to 20% today. This will allow us to offer more attractive prices.
The public company announced on Friday its intention to develop the share of this “low cost” service, which will increase from 38 to 50 trains and will serve around 75 stations compared to 60 today.
To expand its offer, SNCF has ordered 115 new generation TGVs, the TGV M, which will be delivered from the second half of 2025 by the manufacturer Alstom. One hundred copies will be destined for France and 15 for Italy, where the carrier announced on Wednesday its intention to establish itself from 2026.
“Our activity outside France already represents 30% of our turnover, with 30 million travelers per year in nine countries, mainly in cooperation. My objective is to reach the threshold of 50 million international travelers in the ten years to come,” said Mr. Fanichet.
The 115 trains represent an investment of 4 billion euros financed “from own funds, without any public subsidy”, underlined the company manager. Another billion will be spent on maintenance.
Concerning the summer, marked by the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) in France, Mr. Fanichet described it as already “historic” in terms of expected attendance.
To meet demand, “we have (…) added 400,000 places this summer: 300,000 to the West, 100,000 to the Alps. We have already sold 6.5 million long-distance tickets, an increase of 10 % in one year,” he rejoiced.
In view of the JOP, “we are recording 20% additional reservations for the first half of August, or 2 million tickets already sold. The weekend crossover gives way to a daily crossover, to go see a test during the day, with 30% more movements during the week,” described Mr. Fanichet.