How do you explain the fact that the night train has become the "star" of the end of 2023?
Amandine Thomas Commin - The revival of night train is attracting a great deal of media coverage and interest from travellers, associations, the press and influencers... After a decade of virtual disappearance, the offer has expanded over the last three years. Now six lines are made possible by the reopening of the Paris-Nice (coupled with Paris-Briançon) and Paris-Vienne routes in 2021, lines to the South-West in 2022, and the Paris-Berlin and Paris-Aurillac (coupled with Paris-Rodez to Brive-la-Gaillarde) in December 2023. This Paris-Aurillac service, which will become a daily service in 2025, had disappeared 20 years ago. We have succeeded in reinstalling the night train in the minds of the French, including business travellers. According to a report submitted to Parliament in 2021, the government's objective is to cover the whole of France with ten or so lines by 2030. Border crossings and international lines are envisaged, as far as San Sebastian for example, or to link the Netherlands and the Belgium with the South of France. These European lines must be set up in coordination with the Member States and in partnership with the national rail operators concerned. The Minister for Transport has also mentioned cross-border routes to respond to specific needs. high travel needs.
But are the results there?
Amandine Thomas Commin - It takes a year to set up a new line, but the relaunch of the night train is already a commercial success with 700,000 passengers carried by 2023 compared with 350,000 in 2019. The occupancy rate has also improved, rising from minus 40% to 70% between these two dates. Paris-Toulouse is the leading route in terms of traffic, followed by Paris-Nice, which attract respectively 30% and 15% of professional passengers. In addition to the positive impact oncarbon emission with air travel - a real issue for companies - these business customers enjoy a centre-to-centre journey that allows them tosave a night in a hotel. What's more, Austerlitz and Toulouse-Matabiau stations have showers for 1st class passengers. So you can arrive at your business meeting refreshed and ready to go. We were also able to observe that many of these business travellers take the night train on the outward journey and the TGV on the return journey. The SNCF also wants to develop the market for groups, including families, associations, schoolchildren and businesses for their seminars, incentives... Our advantage is also that we are cheaper than the plane, our main competitor on the Paris-Toulouse or Paris-Nice routes.
Have night trains become profitable or are they still loss-making?
Amandine Thomas Commin - It's important to understand that these trains run over long distances at night, requiring the mobilisation of two or three drivers, trainmen to manoeuvre on the ground and more staff on board, even though there are fewer seats than on a conventional train. This is despite the presence of seat cars. What's more, these night trains only run once every 24 hours, whereas TGV trains run daily. This revival of night trains is a specific request from theStatus. It was made possible by the mobilisation of a 152M budget including around €91m for the renovation of 130 carriages, some of which - the same as twenty years ago - were very tired and even damaged. In accordance with the TET operating agreement, operating losses are covered by the State, which makes it possible to offer a wide range of services. affordable pricesFrom €19, €29 or €39 depending on the class of travel. And no fare increase will be applied in 2024, as requested by the government. On international routes, the contract also stipulates that the State will subsidise the French part of the route. The private company Midnight Trains which aims to connect European cities by night train in 2024 or 2025 [including the reopening of the Paris-Venice route suspended by Trenitalia in 2021, editor's note] will not be subsidised and should therefore charge higher fares.
Do you plan to improve the offer by installing showers in Nice, for example?
Amandine Thomas Commin - We do not have this project at Nice for the time being, but it would be relevant. Unlike ÖBB's night trains on the Paris-Vienna and Paris-Berlin routes, our trains do not have on-board showers, but our trains do have toilets at the ends of the sleeping cars. We have already improved the product as a whole, with renovated and better soundproofed trains, sleeper compartments equipped with individual USB and electrical sockets, new duvets, a softer pillow, wifi... Not forgetting the provision of a night kit and a bottle of water. Depending on demand and the number of beds filled, new beds can be added. Dame Seule compartments reserved for women are available for booking. We are currently working on a complementary catering offera recurring request from travellers.
Night trains don't always seem to shine in terms of punctuality...
Amandine Thomas Commin - SNCF Réseaux carries out a lot of work on the tracks during the night, which can have an impact on the movement of night trains. In such cases, we try to find alternative routes. We are also faced with a traffic issue on the Burgundy route, where rail traffic is particularly heavy. The Paris-Nice and Paris-Briançon services, which run together, can sometimes suffer as a result. And in some cases we are no longer able to maintain the service, as was the case on the Briançonnais for 7 months in 2021. As a result of works between Bordeaux and Toulouse, services on the night trains linking the South and Paris, Paris-Cerbère-Paris and Paris-Tarbes-Paris, have been modified since 10 December. The new route of the first via the Rhone Valley and the Mediterranean coastline will serve new towns and cities: Nîmes, Montpellier, Saint-Roch, Sète, Agde and Béziers. The terminus of the second is now Tarbes, previously serving Dax, Bayonne, Orthez, Pau and therefore Lourdes. The stations of Saint-Gaudens, Carcassonne, Castelnaudary, Lézignan as well as Saint-Jean-de-Luz/Ciboure, Biarritz and Hendaye are served by a specially adapted TER connection.
The order for brand new rolling stock is mooted for late 2024/early 2025...
Amandine Thomas Commin - I have no date to give on this point. The specifications for this future order are not yet known, but they could includeother travel classes for these future trains as sleeping cars with cabins of 1 to 3 beds with washbasin or shower and WC. And above all a convivial space on board, based on the ÖBB Austrian trains. Seats or reclining seats, which are the most accessible fares, will not be neglected, nor will luggage space. These future night trains will make it possible to continue the plan to open up new routes and increase frequency on non-daily services. However, the State will have to issue invitations to tender to operate these new routes with the promised rolling stock.
