At a time when SNCF is preparing to face a 36-day strike notice filed by the unions until June, Thellothe French subsidiary of the Italian railway company Trenitaliapresented the 21 March at Paris-Lyon station to report on its results and future development plans. Roberto Rinaudo, CEO of Thello, began by reminding the audience that his company is " the only alternative passenger rail operator in France" . Last year, Thello carried one million passengers3/4 of its 6 trains run every day between Marseille and Milanand the rest on its daily night train service between Paris and Venice.
Upmarket Paris-Venice night trains
The two trains on the latter route have just been given a new, more design-oriented look, and have been complemented by the creation of 4 Premium 1st class cabins Each cabin has two bunk beds and a small bathroom with shower and WC. Available for one or two passengers, a reservation for a Premium cabin also includes a welcome drink, toiletries and breakfast before arrival in Paris or Venice. This night train - like the day train - is also equipped with a pleasant restaurant carriage in the purest tradition of old-time rail travel.
" This renovation represented a major investment of €8 million, because we believe in the potential of this line. Our ambition has been to consolidate and enrich our offer to enhance the customer experience. The journey begins as soon as the train departs" says Roberto Rinaudo. While Thello is primarily targeting leisure travellers with its Premium cabins, the product could also be of interest to the "leisure" market. business travellers who want to arrive in Paris or Italy in the morning in good shape (with stops in Milan, Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, Padua and Venice). On the other hand, Thello does not intend to relaunch night trains between Paris and Rome, a service discontinued at the end of 2013 due to operating constraints deemed to be too great.
Trenitalia to have a high-speed presence in France by 2020?
Trenitalia intends to continue developing Thello in France, giving priority to theoperation of high-speed lines from 2020 in the context of opening up to competition. " Of course, we will be more present on the Paris-Milan route than on the Paris- Milan route.Bordeaux or the Paris-Brussels" joked the CEO. He does, however, place conditions on these projects. " Everything will depend on access to infrastructure, the neutrality of SNCF Réseaux, access to maintenance workshops and, above all, the economic model linked to the amount of tolls." .
And to underline the fact that these tolls are four times more expensive in France than in Italy, which has already done its homework. rail revolution with the transformation of the holding company into a limited company in 1992 and the arrival of a competitor in the high-speed sector in 2012 with NTV. " This has led to an increase in traffic, and this competition has benefited customers with an Rates cut by 25% and improved quality of service from both Trenitalia and NTV" he assures us.
Regional tenders for TER services will be examined
Thello is also considering responding to regional tenders for TER services. Since January 2018, an initial agreement has already been signed on a trial basis with the SNCF and the French regional authorities. PACA region which allows customers, for an extra €3 per month, to use both SNCF TER trains and Thello trains on the Nice-Monaco-Ventimiglia section.
While awaiting progress on these possible developments, Thello intends to concentrate on improving passenger numbers on its current services with a expected profitability for 2019. The company has the support of its parent company, Trenitalia, which has been making profits for almost ten years.
