SNCF is on track to record "record attendance" this summer, with the level of reservations at the end of July 10% higher than the already record level of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said on Wednesday.

Friday should be "the busiest day of the summer" with 400,000 main line travelers expected, according to SNCF Voyageurs.

The SNCF has so far sold more than 18 million main line tickets for July and August, the number reaching 22 million by adding the TERs marketed on the SNCF Connect site or application, she told AFP. .

"This is a level of reservations up almost 10% compared to 2019 on the same date," she added.

Occasional and weekend TER ridership is also excellent, up nearly 20% compared to 2019.

The Mediterranean, the South-West and Brittany popular

Unsurprisingly, the peak weekends of departures on July 8-9-10 (1.3 million passengers on the TGV and Intercités), the July 14 bridge (2 million) and the great crossover of the 29, July 30 and 31 (1 million, and a third of full TGVs) were or will be particularly busy.

The most popular destinations are unsurprisingly the Mediterranean, the South-West and Brittany, the “top 5” of the most requested cities being, like last year, Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Avignon.

The Grand Est is also popular this year, with notable increases in bookings to Nancy (+56% over one year), Metz (+50%) and Reims (+63%).

"More than 6 million seats available on long-distance trains in August"

"All available trains are in circulation this summer," insisted the public company, while many trains are already full or have become very expensive without a discount card.

It plans to run 800 TGVs and Intercités every day, slightly more than in 2019 (+2% for TGVs), ensuring that the train maintenance plan was "robust and adapted to this increased traffic".

"There are still more than 6 million seats available on long-distance trains in August," added SNCF Voyageurs.

The SNCF always advises its travelers to wear a mask, even if it is not compulsory.

In addition, the public group will soon add new functionalities to SNCF Connect: the possibility of selecting a stage, payment by Apple Pay, or “low price alerts” to be informed of the availability of its journeys at a given price.

The possibility of paying for your train ticket online with (dematerialized) holiday vouchers is popular with customers, according to SNCF Voyages.

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  • Summer holidays

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