The second Inoui Paris-Milan TGV set off this morning at 9.46 am, 19 months after the suspension of the railway line due to major landslides on 27 August 2023 in the Maurienne valley. For the occasion, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot was on hand on the platforms of Gare de Lyon alongside Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs. With three daily return trips, the carrier offers 2,000 seats a day between France and Italy. "Since sales opened in December 2024, we have taken 11,000 reservations up to the end of August, which represents an increase of 8% compared with the same period in 2023. And the occupancy rate is already 70%." Christophe Fanichet was delighted, pointing out that the SNCF has carried 7 million passengers on this line since it was launched 13 years ago.
Given the length of the journey - between 6 and 7 hours depending on the Italian destination - the majority of passengers are travelling for leisure reasons. " Since Covid and growing concern for the environmentThe train is widely favoured, including for long-distance journeys" he adds. The Paris-Milan line is also considered crucial for the regions it passes through (Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Lombardy and Piedmont), given its stops at the stations of Mâcon, Chambéry, Saint-Jean de Maurienne, Modane, Oulx and Turin. Some 208,000 people have used the alternative coach service set up by SNCF Voyages Italia between January 2024 and the end of March 2025. However, SNCF concedes that it lost 500,000 passengers as a result of the suspension of direct rail services.
A Franco-Italian offer on SNCF TGVs
With fares starting from €29 for the whole journey, the three Paris-Milan connections from SNCF Voyages Italia are scheduled at 6.46am, 9.46am and 2.48pm. In the other direction, TGVs depart from Milan-Port Garibaldi station at 6am, 12.10pm and 4.10pm. The company is also aiming to attract local Italian customers, with fares starting from €10 for travel between the towns of Oulx, Turin and Milan. In terms of on-board services, the company is promising Franco-Italian staff on board the trains, electrical sockets in 1st and 2nd class, efficient free Wi-Fi and a range of restaurants featuring products and dishes from both countries.
Rail competition on the move
However, SNCF is not the only one to be relaunching its Paris-Milan service. Trenitalia to resume service tomorrow via services at 7.30am and 3.18pm from Gare de Lyon, and at 6.25am and 3.53pm from Milan, with introductory fares starting at €35. These Frecciarossa trains serve Lyon Part-Dieu and now Saint-Jean de Maurienne and Oulx. The Italian company, which estimates that it lost 850,000 passengers during the 19-month stoppage, is also counting on these new stops to capture intermediate markets. " As part of its relaunch, the line will benefit in 2026 from the XXVe Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo" said Fabrice Toledano, Sales and Marketing Director of Trenitalia France. On the docks this morning, Philippe Tabarot, the French Transport Minister, was delighted with " these 5 connections per day between SNCF and Trenitalia from a healthy opening up to rail competitionwhich works well and allows emulation" . The end result is an increase in traffic for both carriers.
