Encouraging travellers to choose the train rather than the plane or the car is a leitmotif that is now part of the strategy of Europe's rail companies. The SNCF's announcement that it will no longer sell tickets from foreign companies on its platform was therefore greeted with astonishment. While competition is slowly but surely being opened up on the French railways, it would seem that the country's incumbent rail operator does not wish to play a collective game. However, this is not stopping the train from continuing to gain in popularity on the Old Continent, thanks to an increasingly attractive range of services and a growing ecological awareness.