This is a development that goes against the grain of the renewed popularity that the train in Europe in the face of global warming: last year, the SBB saw the number of passengers on international trains fall by an average of 4%. This decline concerns the three main international markets from Switzerland to the United States. France, Germany and Italy. Rail traffic to France suffered particularly from the SNCF strike last year. Only the Swiss-Austrian route saw an increase in passenger traffic.
Many blame the high pricing policy or the difficulty of finding more favourable fares. SBB is therefore working to improve visibility and offer a wider range of discount fares.
Last year, the Swiss railway company offered the following services on its main lines (Switzerland and neighbouring countries) equivalent price reductions 80 million Swiss francs (€70 million), in particular with supersaver tickets. For 2019, SBB has announced a 230 million francs programme to improve the price-journey ratio, including more than 100 million francs worth of Supersaver tickets, with reductions of up to 70% on the normal fare.
Last September, SBB also abolished the practice of charging for tickets purchased at stations on international routes. On the Paris-Geneva For example, prices are now in line with what low-cost airlines are offering. As a result, air travel has effectively regained market share.
The line on Paris should benefit from an increased offer, which should result in more discounted fares. Starting this winter, Lyria is bringing new trains into service, with a capacity of 510 seats per train compared with 360 previously. Lyria has invested almost 500 million euros in these new-look trainswhich will include wifi on board. New trains with more seats will also be introduced on the Germany and Italy routes.
According to the SBB spokesman Raffael Hirta new booking system From 2020 onwards, special offers on international routes will be better highlighted, notably with a search engine that will compare fares over several days.
In their offensive to win back the domestic networkSBB will be offering more frequent trains on its main lines, particularly from Geneva and Lausanne to Bale, Berne and Zurich. As for wifi - a crucial element for business customers - it is currently being tested and offered free of charge for several months on the Intercity train lines between Geneva and Zurich, Lausanne and St Gallen and between Bale and Biel. At the end of the year wifi will also be available on all international trains.
