2023-12-12 21:27:35
As the Christmas holidays approach, there is no question of being peaceful in an empty TGV carriage. The CEO of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou said on France Info this Tuesday that the trains will be “85-90% full” with nearly 4 million passengers. Over the Christmas weekend alone, the rail network has one million reservations. “That’s more than in 2022,” rejoiced the boss of the SNCF. Before emphasizing: “This shows that there is a very strong enthusiasm among the French who massively choose the train. »
Behind this success also lies a relief: that of avoiding a new strike movement as for the 2022 holidays. An agreement was formulated between the unions to this effect. “SNCF management worked well during this annual negotiation, we agreed to salary increases for next year, which is normal, because inflation is there. For three years, we have supported the increase in the cost of living for railway workers, this successful negotiation explains that the social climate has relaxed as the holidays approach,” declared Jean-Pierre Farandou.
Insufficient oars
The only downside: the insufficient capacity of SNCF due to the increasingly low number of trains. According to BFM TV, there are currently 363 compared to 418 in 2018. Only the new train, the TGV M, gives the railway company some hope. The new model would in fact offer 20% more capacity. But a delay is expected and it should only arrive in 2025 (compared to the end of 2024 initially) and gradually.
A difficulty which leads to a bad gift under the tree: the increase in TGV Inouï prices for next year. “It will increase a little, because we are obliged, we have capacity problems which require the purchase of new trains”, explained Jean-Pierre Farandou who assured that the increase in TGV tickets “will not be more significant than inflation.
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