A few months after making its debut in France, the Spanish company Renfe is continuing to make its mark in France. Launched on the Lyon-Barcelona route on 13 July, and then between Marseille and Madrid almost immediately afterwards, its AVE high-speed trains are going to back to Paris. This extension of its services is part of a clear objective: " quadruple its services in France by 2024" . This will increase competition with SNCF and Trenitalia on the strategic Paris-Lyon route.
At the recent presentation of the Spanish Business of the Year award by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in France, Renfe Chairman Raul Blanco sent out a strong signal: "... I'd like to thank you for your support. We're here to stay" . After five months in operation, the Spanish company is already satisfied with its debut in France, with 250,000 passengers carried and an average occupancy rate of 80%. This should fuel its new ambitions, with the introduction in France of new high-capacity AVE s-106 trains with over 500 seats.
While the Spanish carrier can currently count on four trains for a total of 28 weekly services, its operational plan calls for 16 trains a day for the coming year. In this context, as well as increasing its services to Spain from Lyon and Marseille, the airline will start offering Paris-Lyon services, some of which will be extended to Marseille and even Barcelona.
In addition, the company will be extending the list of stations served in France with three new stops on various lines: Lyon Perrache, Montpellier Sud de France and Nîmes Port-du-Gard. In total, the AVE will link 17 destinations on both sides of the border and serve 20 stations. At the same time, its seat capacity is expected to reach 2.7 million per year.
While Renfe hopes to see Spanish sportsmen and women and spectators arriving by train at Paris - Gare de Lyon for the Olympic Games, the company also intends to establish itself as a key player on the Spanish market. France's most lucrative routeIt is also the busiest route for business travellers. Trenitalia has recently extended its services on this route with five round trips between Paris and Lyon since 10 December.
For passengers, this new growth in supply could have the following effects a positive effect on rates tickets. According to the distribution platform Trainlinewhich observed bookings made at the end of June for the last summer period, the arrival of Trenitalia has led to an average reduction of 44% in fares on the Paris-Lyon route, compared with the same period in 2019.
