Faced with steadily rising demand on its Atlantic network, and in order to prepare for the arrival of competitors in the next three to four years, such as Proxima or The TrainSNCF Voyageurs has decided to significantly increase its seat capacity. to the South-West, Pays-de-la-Loire and Brittany regions. To achieve this, the rail company is counting on the use of the latest-generation Océane trains from the next winter service, starting on 15 December, followed by the use of more double trains in 2025.
85% double trainsets by the end of 2025 on the Bordeaux-Paris route
The South-West route is the first to be affected by this. supply shock with 1.5 million more tickets sold by 2026, representing a 10% increase in capacity. SNCF Voyageurs intends to achieve this figure by optimising the management of its TGV fleet and gradually extending the use of double trains between Paris and Bordeaux. On the 19 daily round trips, SNCF hopes to use 85% of double trains, i.e. a jump from 556 to 1,112 seats, by December 2025. " We have a defined number of trains. We are not adding frequencies, but additional capacity." explained Franck Dubourdieu, Director of TGV Atlantique, during the presentation of this ambitious programme.
Significant improvement for business customers, the Business Première offer will now be offered weekdays, from Monday to Friday, on all Inoui TGVs running between Bordeaux and Paris, as well as on those between La Rochelle, Niort and Paris. During the changeover to the Winter 2025-2026 service, the following will also be introduced a daily Paris-Hendaye service by TGV Ouigovia Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. This low-cost offer alone should account for 900,000 seats of the total announced for the South-West.
Higher capacity Océane trains on the Paris-Nantes route from 15 December
On the route between Paris and the Pays-de-la-Loire region, i.e. to Nantes via Le Mans and Angers, SNCF plans to add 600,000 seats by 2026, including 300,000 from January 2025 thanks to these double-decker Océane trains, each with 50 extra seats. The other half of the volume will be added in 2026 with the systematic doubling of trains. On the strength of this growth, Franck Dubourdieu intends to meet the demand for low-price tickets for leisure travellers and, above all, for business customers, who are very much in evidence on the TGVs linking several major economic centres, including Le Mans, Angers, Nantes and, of course, Paris.
More non-stop trains between Paris and Rennes
The Paris-Rennes TGV line has not been forgotten either, due to sustained demand. More than 600,000 seats have already been added to all Inoui TGV services since last spring. SNCF Voyageurs is aiming to an overall addition of 2 million seats by the end of 2026including 900,000 thanks to Ouigo, with the addition of a 3e round trip between Paris and Rennes. It should be noted that TGV journey times to the Breton hotspots will be optimised from next December, with 6 daily trains becoming non-stop between Paris and Rennes. " As a result, 90 % on the Paris-Brest and Paris-Quimper TGVs will be non-stop between Paris and Rennes." he added. The Inoui TGVs are also equipped from Monday to Friday with Business 1ère carriages reserved for business travellers.
