The slow tourism trend has put trains in the spotlight in recent years. While the popularisation of tourism at the end of the 20th century rhymed with the boom in air travel, travellers now seem to be increasingly favouring the train as a means of getting around. A large-scale ecological awakening that is greatly benefiting a sector that is constantly investing to improve its offering in order to exceed passenger expectations. How are trains becoming increasingly part of the sustainable tourism movement? What will the trains of tomorrow look like? What plans are there to link even more destinations by rail?
A constantly expanding rail network
Although France already has a large number of railway lines linking its major cities, it is often necessary to travel via Paris. To remedy this, the government launched a call for tenders at the end of 2023 to decentralise the French rail network by promoting trains at conventional speeds on the country's median and transverse routes. The lines concerned are Nantes-Bordeaux, Nantes-Lyon (via Saumur, Bourges and Moulins), and Nantes-Lille (via Rouen).
Currently operated as a monopoly by the SNCF with intercity trains, these routes could soon be operated by Le Train as part of the opening up of these lots to competition by 2030. ‘We made a name for ourselves with our project for TGV lines between Western France and Bordeaux. But our core business, before high-speed, is inter-sector services. In other words, midscale or long-distance journeys from region to region", explains Alain Gétraud, Managing Director of Le Train.
At the same time, new intercity trains are set to strengthen the national network, notably on the Paris - Toulouse and Paris - Clermont-Ferrand lines from 2032. To carry out this project, the French government has ordered 28 trains to improve rail connections between these cities. These trainsets will replace the current Corails, which are causing numerous problems on these lines, while also providing greater capacity and enhanced comfort.
And the development of French rail services does not stop there, with the launch in the 2023/2024 winter season of the Eurostar Snow service linking the Netherlands, Belgium and England to the French Alps. The company's ambition was to carry more than 12,000 passengers to this destination, and it seems that this route met a strong demand. In fact, a third of the tickets from Belgium were sold on the first day, while half of the tickets...
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