Aurélien Fleurot 09:32, April 06, 2022

The first foreign operator to compete with SNCF on the TGV in France, Trenitalia announced on Tuesday that it has transported 150,000 travelers between Paris and Lyon since the launch in December of its two round trips.

There will be five a day by June 1.

It's four times less than the SNCF, of course, but travelers seem to be won over.

REPORT

Would the SNCF have anything to worry about?

Trenitalia, the first foreign operator to compete with it in France, announced on Tuesday that it has transported 150,000 travelers between Paris and Lyon since the launch in December of its two round trips.

Report at the Gare de Lyon, where travelers are increasingly seduced by 

Seat comfort and free snack

Red carpet for the red arrow in Lyon Perrache station, which has just welcomed Trenitalia's high-speed train for the first time.

Routes between Paris and Lyon which, this time, will not go as far as Italy.

An increasingly frontal competition that appeals to Sabri, in her fifties, who often travels between the two cities for work.

They appreciate the comfort of the seats, the free snack and the price.

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"We immediately see the difference", he testifies at the microphone of Europe 1. "Today, I took a ticket for 29 euros in business. The return, I take it with the SNCF and I I paid 90 euros. It's three times more expensive. And there, I'm in second. On the way back, I tried to see the timetables for Trenitalia, but it didn't fit", he laments. 

But the objective is not only to take passengers to the SNCF, explains Roberto Renaudo, the general manager of Trenitalia France.

Stimulate demand

"It will somewhat confirm what we have already experienced in Italy with the opening up to competition, i.e. the fact that there is more choice, more operator, therefore more offers available for travelers. It will stimulate demand and therefore there are conditions to increase the market", he explains at the microphone of Europe 1. 

Since December 18, Trenitalia has had nearly 150,000 people travel on its red trains, with an occupancy rate of 87%.