2023-07-08 05:00:00
INFOGRAPHICS. According to a report by the Transport Regulatory Authority, train prices are lower in France than in other European countries.
By Lou Roméo To benefit from the lowest prices, the CEO of the SNCF recommends that travelers book their journeys well in advance, favor Ouigos, and obtain a discount card, such as the Carte Avantage. © SAMUEL BOIVIN / NurPhoto via AFP Published on 07/08/2023 at 07:00
As the French prepare to leave for the summer holidays, as the railways open up a little more to competition with the Spanish Renfe, and as the level of frequentation of the lines promises to be a new record, the price train tickets once again raises criticism.
Asked about this on France Info on Thursday, the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, said that trains were on average cheaper in France than in neighboring countries. The CEO of the SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, for his part indicated on Friday on France Inter that it was “really possible to find tickets at moderate prices”. If many French people turn pale when buying their tickets on SNCF Connect, it is nevertheless true, according to data from the Transport Regulatory Authority (ART) for 2021.
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For 100 kilometres, according to ART, the SNCF thus received an average of 8 euros excluding tax per passenger in 2021, reductions included, for journeys in trains approved by the State or the regions, i.e. TER, Intercités and Transilians. This rate is similar to that charged in Belgium. In Germany, these tickets cost an average of 11.26 euros for 100 kilometers, and more than 16 euros in the Netherlands.
Only Spanish and Italian trains cost less in this case than French trains.
This advantage can be explained by the high rate of subsidy enjoyed by these lines in France: excluding the TGV, rail obtains 75% of subsidies, against less than 70% in the rest of the European countries.
For freely organized trains, that is to say the TGV inOui, Ouigo, Lyria, Eurostar and Thalys in France, the statement remains correct. The French railway even charges the lowest prices, just after Spain. But in detail, it is the Ouigo tickets, whose service and comfort are of lower quality, which lower the average French price. According to the CEO of the SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, they represent one in four places in the TGV.
Excluding Ouigo, the price excluding taxes in 2019 of a TGV trip was thus rather around 10.80 euros, and 16.40 euros excluding taxes for international TGVs.
Finally, if we want to evaluate the price of a train ticket according to purchasing power, the statement still holds. By dividing the average price of a train ticket by the median salary of each of the countries and by multiplying the result by 100, we obtain a ratio, which gives the weight represented by the price of a ticket on the median budget in the country concerned. The French ratio is respectively 0.4 (for contracted trains) and 0.49 (for freely organized trains), which makes it one of the lowest.
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Only Belgians have a better ratio between their median salary and the price of a train ticket, with 0.35.
But this Belgian advantage is only valid in Belgium for contracted trains. For freely organized trains, the purchasing power of Belgians collapses, with a ratio of 1.06. Italy and France retain the best positions.
It is still necessary, to take advantage of this advantage, to know how to “play with commercial instruments”, recognized Jean-Pierre Farandou. The CEO of SNCF therefore recommends that travelers on a budget book their journeys well in advance, give preference to Ouigos, and obtain a discount card, such as the Carte Avantage, adopted by 4.5 million French this year.
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