What proportion of Lyria's traffic are business travellers?
Alain Barbey - It all depends on the route. They represent almost 40 % of our passengers on Paris-Geneva; 35 % to Basel and 30 % to Lausanne or Bern. As far as international customers are concerned, Paris-Geneva remains the main route for business travellers, especially since we switched to 9 frequencies a day in both directions, saving 20 to 25 minutes on journey time.
Is competition with air travel also based on service?
A. B. - It's obvious, and that's why we're not just increasing frequencies and shortening journey times. We have initiated a real change of culture by focusing more on the customer than on the product. From now on, once passengers are on board, we really take care of them! This is obvious in first class, where the service is comparable to that found in medium-haul airlines; in particular with the renewal of the bar offer and a meal tray included in the price of the ticket and adapted to the timetable. We are also testing WiFi on the Basel-Zürich route and, if all goes well, we plan to extend it to all destinations.
And outside the trains?
A. B. - Our aim is to make our customers' journeys as comfortable as possible, but also to take away their worries before and after the journey. The emergence of smartphones gives us the opportunity to extend the possibilities for changing and modifying reservations in the event of a problem. We are also developing our lounges. We opened a lounge in Zurich in 2008 and we are planning one in Geneva for the second half of 2013. We don't yet have a solution at Gare de Lyon, but we hope to open something there too in the same period.
What is the aim of the new agreement just signed by SNCF and CFF?
A. B. - First and foremost, it sends out a strong signal that this partnership will be strengthened at a time when the European rail market is being liberalised. It is also about giving Lyria greater autonomy and filling a gap that has held us back until now: the lack of dedicated equipment. The acquisition of 19 trains that will run to Geneva, Lausanne and Berne will enable us, like Thalys or Eurostar, to run our own equipment and carry a more coherent brand image. This approach should soon be extended to services to Basel and Zurich.
Do you plan to increase the number of destinations in the future?
A. B. - We're already thinking about making the most of the existing routes and strengthening our offer on them. We will soon be adding two frequencies to Zurich, with six trains a day. After that, we'll be looking at the opportunities offered by our new equipment, particularly for the 'TGV des neiges', which operates in the leisure market, and possibly for a few more 'business' destinations in German-speaking Switzerland, such as Graubünden and St Gallen. We're in the process of evolving, but it's better to be sure of going where the market is...
Bio Express
Born in 1957 in Tavannes (canton of Bern - Switzerland)
1978 Graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Lausanne. Career with Swissair in Geneva, Boston, Accra, Algiers, Los Angeles and Milan.
1999 – 2003 CEO of Gate Gourmet France in Paris, then of Ligabue Gate Gourmet Italy in Milan.
2003 – 2005 Executive Vice-President of the Airport Activities and Business Development divisions of the Ligabue Group in Venice.
2005 – 2006 Managing Director of the Crans-Montana Tourist Office (Valais).
2007 – 2010 CEO of Cisalpino S.A Since July 2010 Managing Director of Lyria SAS.
