railway companies

Information updated on 15 July Following the example of the conflict between the United States and China at the beginning of June, air links between France and the Middle Kingdom are going through a period of turbulence... Generally speaking, the logic is the same: a problem of reciprocity that the authorities are allegedly not respecting...

The end of the lockdown is approaching, and the business travel industry is taking steps to prepare for tomorrow's journeys. Since Monday 4 May, masks have been compulsory for anyone wishing to board a Thalys or Eurostar train. Masks must also be worn at stations. In addition to being denied boarding,...

In a post-confinement world, where Covid-19 acts like a sword of Damocles on travel, the battle between rail and air is likely to be fierce to attract future travellers, particularly on relatively short routes. Since the launch of the high-speed rail networks, we already know that the train has little to...

With passenger numbers down by as much as 70 % and ticket sales two-thirds lower than last year over the same period, British rail operators are suffering serious disruption. To avoid possible, or even probable, bankruptcies, the government is taking emergency measures and proposing that companies suspend their operations...

The Nightjet service, inaugurated in December 2016, continues to expand. The night service operated by ÖBB, Oesterreischiche Bundesbahn (Austrian Federal Railways), is proving to be a real success story for the company, one that is underpinned in particular by Europeans' growing awareness of their environment. According to the OBB, its network of night trains in Europe has...

27 June 2018. This is a key date for rail transport in France, as it corresponds to the promulgation of the reform for a new rail pact, the main measure of which is the opening up of passenger traffic to competition. Although this has been in force since 2009 on international routes, the law authorises new players to enter the market.

This is good news for all passengers on Germany's mainline rail services. On 1 January, a reduced rate of VAT came into force. The law was passed by the German parliament last September, when the members of the Bundestag decided to lower VAT from 19% to 7%. Deutsche Bahn has...

Rail operators are preparing their weapons for the opening up of the rail sector to competition. In Spain, Renfe will be adding a new low-cost brand to its catalogue. Avlo, as it is known, was presented on 11 December. It is due to enter service on 6 April 2020 on the Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona route, with the aim of attracting mainly young customers...

As expected, the national strike will continue to have a major impact on travel this Friday 6 December. SNCF is expecting 1 TGV in 10 on average, and 15% of traffic on average on the Transilien network. For international business travellers, the day also promises to be very complex, with...

For several months now, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has been testing a new ticket integrated into the SBB mobile application with 15,000 users. The trial was so well received by users that SBB decided to extend the new EasyRide service to all public transport users in Switzerland....

Eurostar celebrated its 25th anniversary on Thursday morning with a special train from London to Paris, featuring an orchestra on the platforms of St Pancras International station and a revival of the uniforms of the time. Above all, a forest was temporarily installed at the entrance to the London station...

Lufthansa is adapting to passenger demand for greater integration between rail and air, and more rail connections on the shortest domestic routes. From mid-December, the German airline, in cooperation with its partner Deutsche Bahn, will be increasing the number of its connections to the airport...

With Brexit fast approaching, a plan for an alliance between Eurostar and Thalys, called Green Speed, has been presented by the management of the two rail companies, supported by SNCF as majority shareholder in both entities. The new unified company would benefit from the pooling of teams and 55 vehicles...

In December, Lyria will begin operating 15 TGV Duplex trains redesigned in its own colours. The new trains will offer passengers greater comfort and new services such as free Wi-Fi, with a 30 % increase in seating capacity. The number of daily services will be increased, with eight round trips...

It became official on the evening of 18 September: the Elysée Palace has made its choice for the future boss of SNCF. Jean-Pierre Farandou, who has headed Keolis since 2012, will succeed Guillaume Pepy, who has headed the group since 2008. "The President of the Republic, acting on a proposal from the Prime Minister,...

Here's a development that runs counter to the renewed popularity of rail travel in Europe in the face of global warming: last year, SBB saw the number of passengers on its international trains fall by an average of 4%. This decline concerned the three main international markets from Switzerland to...

Already in use since May to Leeds (2 hours from London), 65 Azuma trains - built by the Japanese group Hitachi - will be running within a year on the network in the north-east of England operated by the state-owned London North Eastern Railway. In addition to an increase in capacity of around 100 seats per train...

The Flygskam movement - "ashamed to fly" in the face of the urgency of global warming - was launched last year in Sweden, and in the space of just a few months has taken on an unexpected scale. And it could have a snowball effect in France. During the debates on the Mobility Act, two MPs proposed the idea of...

Is it really a coincidence that the SNCF has chosen the day of the vote in the National Assembly on the Mobility Orientation Law (LOM) to present the SNCF Assistant, which the 13 million users of the SNCF app will be able to use from 19 June. The new application "is designed to be open to all...

Since 9 May, as part of its drive to simplify fares, SNCF has been exchanging its Fréquence season tickets for its new Liberté card. "Marketing has got off to a flying start with business customers, with 25,000 cards sold in 15 days," says Jérôme Laffon, Marketing Director at Voyages SNCF. Sold at €399 for...