- The Brittany region and the SNCF are concerned about the lack of train ticket reservations for the summer.
- Many tickets will be offered at “low prices” to encourage travelers to book by TGV or TER.
- The region has estimated its loss of revenue "around 50 million euros".
After three months spent almost at a standstill, the trains have returned to an almost normal speed in recent days in France. But on board, travelers are not yet very numerous. In Brittany, TERs show a drop in attendance of 70% compared to a classic June. TGVs are barely better. "The recovery is taking place at a rate far too slow for our taste," says Gérard Lahellec in his usual outspokenness. The vice-president of the Brittany region delegate to transport does not hide his concern at the reluctance of travelers to find the rail. At the dawn of a summer which promises to be very "French-French", the region and the SNCF have therefore completed an offer of low prices to attract.
“The major challenge is to have travelers on our trains. We took over with 15% of the usual service. In one week, we have already gone to 30%. It progresses, it shudders, and they come back. Timidly, but they are coming back, ”says Laurent Beaucaire, director of the SNCF in Brittany. Required to transport patients from Covid-19 to the peak of the epidemic, the railway company has great difficulty in finding its usual customers.
"We see that our travelers do not anticipate"
The still massive use of telework limits the movements of those called "commuters". But what worries SNCF and the region is the delay in summer bookings. “Usually, during this period, all of our trains are full for July 14th. There, there are some but they are not numerous, observes Christel Pujol-Araujo, director of TGV Bretagne. We see that our travelers do not anticipate. It is believed that reservations will soar a week before. But we do not know yet if we will post full ».
To seduce the French, the SNCF has therefore set up a range of "low prices". A quarter of the seats on TGV will be offered at “less than 49 euros” for high-speed trains to or from Brittany. "We have offers at 16 euros for Paris-Rennes", quotes the regional director as an example. Tickets at 5 euros will also be offered on the first Saturdays of the month on the Breton TER network. And the prices will be halved for regional trains running on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. “We have worked hard to get our trains cleaned and disinfected. Our customers can be reassured but we have to convince them, ”says Laurent Beaucaire. At the national level, many promotions will also be offered.
The stopping of traffic during confinement and the slow restart experienced by rail transport will undoubtedly weigh heavily on the finances of SNCF but also in those of the region, which largely subsidizes TER. "The recovery is timid and the impact will be colossal for public finances," warns Gérard Lahellec. According to the regional representative, the loss of revenue is estimated at 50 million euros. The state should take care of half the bill. It remains to be seen who will compensate for the remaining 25 million.
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