Rail competition could intensify a little further in France. On Thursday, after heated debates, the Senate opened up SNCF Connect to rail companies other than SNCF, thanks to the vote on Article 9bis of the framework bill on the development and financing of transport in France. From 31 December 2027, Trenitalia, Renfe and, in the future, new operators such as Velvet or Le Train will be able to have their tickets marketed on the national rail company's distribution platform.
Senators who adopted the measure believe it will simplify the customer purchasing journey while allowing for better fare comparisons. This would strengthen rail competition between operators, with the potential for fare reductions for the SNCF. This open rail distribution would be a first in Europe, as no national European high-speed operator resells its competitors' tickets, an obligation that is not currently part of the European Commission's demands.
A strengthened monopoly for SNCF Connect
If this article was tabled by the Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Committee, rather than the government, the Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, expressed his favour towards the measure. This was also the view of the French Rail Association (Afra), whose alternative carriers (Trenitalia, Renfe, Le Train, Transdev, Proxima/Velvet, etc.) expect increased visibility with travellers and a rise in their sales from this access to SNCF Connect. Unsurprisingly, SNCF Voyageurs had, however, opposed its adoption, as had independent distributors grouped within ADN Mobilités (Trainline, Omio, Kombo, etc.), who – unsuccessfully – undertook intense lobbying, as this opening represents a significant risk to their business model.
Indeed, if this decision were to be confirmed in the final vote on the law, it should further strengthen the influence of SNCF Connect, which recorded 1.64 billion visits and generated the sale of 233 million SNCF tickets in 2025. Through its website and application, the platform already holds a market share of 85% for train ticket sales in general and 93% for long-distance tickets, between TGV Inoui and Ouigo and its subsidiaries Eurostar, Lyria…
However, not all is lost for SNCF and ADN Mobilités, as the implementation of this measure is only planned from December 31, 2027. And the text will still have to be voted on in the National Assembly. Without any guarantee that this could happen before the 2027 presidential election and that the article will be adopted in the same way.
