2023-05-21 16:08:00
The SNCF attacks Renfe on its land and the Spaniards will not be long in responding, frontally, on the tricolor rails. First from next month on the Madrid – Lyon and Barcelona – Marseille axes with several stops in French stations. A warm-up lap before embarking on the busiest and most profitable high-speed line in France: Paris-Lyon.
Renfe remains silent on the launch date of its offer but according to our information, it has indeed reserved rights of way called train paths with SNCF Réseau to circulate between the two French metropolises in 2024. It seems unlikely that the Iberians will launch between Paris and Lyon from the “change of service”, in December 2023. “It will be rather in the spring of 2024, to experiment with the service a few months before taking advantage of the Olympic Games”, confides an actor well aware of the file.
The white trains, with their black leather seats, will then join the TGV InOui and Ouigo of the SNCF, as well as Trenitalia, present on the axis since December 2021. The same configuration as that in force beyond the Pyrenees, between Madrid and Barcelona. For the same effects on ticket prices? ” Not necessarily. The typology of the French market is not the same”, slice Christopher Michau, CEO of Trainline, application listing the offers of all the railway companies.
SNCF remains in a position of strength
A drop in prices, already underway since the arrival of Italian competition, will take place, but it will not be as significant as that observed on the Madrid – Barcelona section, where prices have been halved. “Prices are already lower here than those that were practiced in Spain before the establishment of Ouigo on the market, underlines Arnaud Aymé, transport specialist at Sia Partners. Quite simply because the SNCF has already developed a low-cost offer in France, whereas it did not exist beyond the Pyrenees. »
This makes it difficult for foreign companies to establish themselves since all the “tariff segments” are already occupied by the SNCF with Ouigo and InOui. Especially since the French rail group saturates the network. It has 22 daily round trips to Paris-Lyon, leaving crumbs to its competitors. “The line can absorb around thirty daily, compared to 50 on Madrid-Barcelona, specifies an administrator from SNCF Réseau. Renfe and Trenitalia will share a dozen. The Italians have four on Paris-Lyon, once morest sixteen on the Spanish rails.
This low number of rotations prevents the companies from quickly making a profit from the investment in the equipment and charging low prices while paying the tolls, which are very high in France compared to our European neighbours. “However, notes this administrator of the SNCF, everyone will practice very low call prices, to fill the trains and grab market share. The economy of carriers will suffer but the consumer will benefit. »
With four companies, French travelers will also have more choices of different schedules and services. Between the low-cost turquoise Ouigo seats, the TGV InOui or the top-of-the-range cars from Trenitalia and Renfe, popular with professionals very present on the axis. “Generally speaking, the increase in frequencies will benefit rail as a whole,” stresses Arnaud Aymé. The greater the offer, the more individuals use the train to travel: this is what we observe in Spain. »
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