Faced with growing demand for TGV travel, which SNCF is struggling to meet, the rail company has decided to beef up its low-cost Ouigo product. By 2030, it is expected to represent 30% of its high-speed offercompared with 20% today. "To achieve this, we will be increasing the number of TGV Ouigo trains and offering additional services, with 75 stations served by 2027 compared with 60 this year."said Alain Krakovitch, Director of TGV-Intercités.
Priority given to comfort and services
Twelve of the current 38 trainsets will join the fleet between the end of 2025 and 2027. All the trainsets will also be renovated for greater comfort to passengers. These 12 "new" trains, former InOui TGVs, will be given a facelift to start a new life under the Ouigo colours. Expected from January 2025, these dominant colours will be less flashy, with a predominance of sky blue in the carriages.
Nicknamed Tango, these trains will feature more comfortable seats, an electrical socket and a USB portThere will also be more user-friendly baggage storage areas and - a major new feature - a new relaxation area in carriages 4 and 14 to stretch your legs if you need to. Last but not least, 8 bicycle hooks (16 for double trains) will be available for passengers travelling on two wheels to their destination.
Despite the creation of the relaxation area, this interior refurbishment will enable the SNCF to sell more placesThe number of passengers will increase from 644 at present to 653. This should improve the break-even point for Ouigo TGVs, which need to be filled to 85%, compared with 75% for a classic InOui TGV. " The average occupancy rate is 90% "Alain Krakovitch is delighted. fares have not increased in 2023 and 50% of customers travel on tickets costing less than €30 ". With 23 million tickets sold last year - and 33 million planned from 2027 - Ouigo is enabling SNCF Voyages to resist the gradual emergence of competitors on its home turf.
A daily Paris-Hendaye service from the end of 2025
In terms of services, SNCF is announcing the introduction of a daily service in December 2025. Paris-Hendaye via Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. This will effectively add a return trip to Bordeaux, while the Paris-Rennes route will benefit from a third daily return trip on the same date. A strengthening of the Paris-Strasbourg, Paris-Montpellier and Paris-Lyon services is also under consideration. As are the creation of Paris-Lille services from the Gare du Nord and between the major provincial cities. All in all, no fewer than 8 million extra seats a year!
