At a time when the climate emergency is at the heart of all debates, the train is a leading sustainable mode of transport. Its number of users is constantly increasing and many actions are being implemented to encourage the undecided to favour it. However, its sometimes high cost and the closure of many small stations in rural areas do not allow everyone to take full advantage of its services. How can we encourage more and more people to leave their cars behind and take the train? How can we compete with air travel on short and medium journeys? How can we make the train accessible to as many people as possible while maintaining a quality offer? These are all questions to which the transport actors are trying to provide some answers.
A transport mode that is becoming more and more attractive
The year 2022 marks the long-awaited return of tourism activity with an increase in the number of international tourist arrivals according to the UNWTO. This upturn in activity is also benefiting the SNCF, which in a press release dated 30 June explained that it was expecting a record summer in terms of passenger numbers. Although the number of passengers on board the company's trains has not yet been revealed, Laurent Trevisani, SNCF's deputy director general in charge of finance, has revealed the turnover. This figure is €20.3 billion, an increase of 14% compared to 2019, a development that attests to the recovery in tourism but also to the growing appeal of trains as a means of transport to get to one's destination.
Friday 29 July in particular marked a peak in the number of passengers on the company's trains. It was the first day of the famous "chassé-croisé", which marks the transition from July to August. A particularly important weekend for the SNCF, which was expecting up to one million passengers on this day. According to the transport company's figures, the level of bookings for July and August at the end of June was 10% higher than the already record level for 2019.
While tourists make up a significant proportion of train users, business travellers also seem to be making a comeback this year with the recovery of the MICE sector. At Eurostar, business travel now accounts for 70% of 2019 levels, while the number of corporate accounts managed by the company has increased by 40% over the last three years. A similar observation was made by Thalys, "our transport offer has increased month by month to reach its pre-Covid level in April", commented a company...
France
This content is for subscribers only. You have 80% left to discover.
Every week, the HON team brings you an expert look at the world of hospitality.
By becoming a member, you will have access to a complete ecosystem: exclusive content, jobs, etc.
BECOME A MEMBERAlready a member ? Login
