“This is a real turning point in French high speed”: SNCF gives a boost to its low-cost offer by strengthening Ouigo

Cette offre, lancée en 2013 est aujourd’hui “un succès économique” pour la SNCF. MAXPPP – Jean-Marc Lallemand

The SNCF announced this Friday, June 14, 2024, its intention to develop its Ouigo offer by increasing from 38 to 50 trains by 2027, thus offering eight million more seats per year, while renewing the design of its trains.

"This is a real turning point in French high speed", underlined the boss of TGV- Intercited at SNCF Voyageurs, Alain Krakovitch, during a press conference organized in La Défense.

No more connections, no more trains

"Our challenge is to attract 33 million customers per year, or 30 % more than in 2023" by proposing more connections with more trains, he added.

From the end of 2025, Ouigo will offer a new destination in Hendaye to serve the Basque Country via the stations of Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

A new connection between Paris and Lille is also under study, as well as journeys between provincial stations, but SNCF Voyageurs did not want to say more on this subject. The offer will also be strengthened between Paris and Rennes as well as Paris and Bordeaux, with an additional round trip per day.

All these projects lead Ouigo to expand, since in 2027, this low-cost service which offers cheaper tickets but not exchangeable or refundable, will serve around 75 stations compared to 60 today.< /p>

Ouigo will therefore take up more space compared to classic TGVs, called Inoui, and should represent 30% of the high-speed offer in 2030, compared to 20% today. rsquo;today.

"Ouigo is an incredible success", wanted to emphasize Alain Krakovitch. According to a study carried out by the SNCF, half of Ouigo customers would not have taken the train without this cheaper offer than the classic TGV – either to favor the car, or not to travel at all.

Renovation of Ouigo trains

This increase in power, which is also a response to the explosion in demand that the SNCF is struggling to meet, will be accompanied by a complete renovation of the Ouigo trains, equipped with a new design.

The seats will be completely renewed, individual sockets will be installed in each seat and there will be up to 16 hooks for bicycles in each train.

Another new feature, two cars will be dedicated solely to relaxation. Called "relaxation area", they should allow travelers to stretch their legs in these trains without a bar car.

If the SNCF pushes this low cost model, it’s because'"there is a demand for trains at a very reasonable price& ;quot;, recalled Mr. Krakovitch.

This offer, launched in 2013, is today "an economic success" for SNCF, with a occupancy rate greater than 90%. Even the classic Ouigo train formula, even cheaper and with old Corail trains which do not use high-speed lines, has been a great success with 3 million customers in 2023.

According to the National Federation of Transport User Associations (Fnaut), the average price of an Ouigo ticket increased from 23 to 31 euros between & nbsp;2018 and  2022. But prices have not increased for two years, according to Alain Krakovitch, who recalls that half of Ouigo travelers pay less than 30 euros for their ticket.