{"id":28677,"date":"2012-10-24T11:40:43","date_gmt":"2012-10-24T10:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/les-trains-passent-a-la-generation-mobile-20121024.html"},"modified":"2016-02-10T10:06:15","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T09:06:15","slug":"trains-go-mobile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/trains-go-mobile","title":{"rendered":"Trains go mobile"},"content":{"rendered":"

23 May 2012: Fran\u00e7ois Hollande, freshly elected President of the French Republic, surprised everyone by travelling to Brussels by Thalys for a summit of European Union heads of state and government. His Prime Minister did the same a few days later. What could be a more 'normal' way of getting around France in general, and Europe in particular, than by high-speed train? Modern, in tune with the times, ecological as much as technological: rail has won its spurs over air travel, particularly over distances of less than three hours.<\/p>\n

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For all business travellers, from executives on mission to the highest levels of government, the train offers a clear advantage over the plane: it leaves more time to work, talk to colleagues or simply rest. All without the tedious transfer to the airport, security checks or endless waiting times before boarding. All without the tedious transfer to the airport, security checks or endless waiting times before boarding... This advantage is also highlighted by Thalys through a study carried out by EPSA. \"97 % of business passengers work during the journey, and one in two does so efficiently over 50 % of the journey time\", stresses Franck Gervais, CEO of Thalys International.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Intelligent\" trains<\/h2>\n
\n\"\"But these are far from the only advantages of rail transport, especially as a new generation of trains is on the horizon: trains that are not only more comfortable, but also more connected. For the rail companies, this is indeed a time of major projects. Between now and 2014, Eurostar will be investing in the renovation of its trainsets, while finalising the acquisition of 10 state-of-the-art Siemens trainsets. The SNCF, for its part, has chosen Alstom with an order for 55 Euro Duplex TGV trainsets, which will run between now and 2015 in France on the Rhine-Rh\u00f4ne axis, but also on the Lyria network and eventually as far as Spain.<\/div>\n
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\n\"\"This third-generation high-speed train is designed to be intelligent, with screens - four per carriage - and electronic labels on the seats. Above all, it provides passengers with a wealth of information on speed, stops and connections, possible disruptions, etc., in six languages if necessary. We have hundreds of pieces of data available that we can analyse and display,\" explains Antoine Simon, head of passenger information and control systems at SNCF. The important thing is to provide passengers with faster, more reliable information\". DB, for its part, has begun equipping its first-class ICE seats with video screens, following the example of the airline industry.<\/div>\n
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But this information is now being distributed well before the journey, thanks to the widespread use of smartphones. The free SNCF Direct application for mobile phones and iPads makes it possible to make reservations in just a few clicks, and to check departure and arrival times at 600 mainline and Ile-de-France stations. As an added bonus, the application can geolocate and guide you to the nearest station! Finally, you can receive an alert as soon as the train's departure platform is displayed, or if there is a delay. In the event of disruption, emails can also be sent as part of the My Alert service. This basic information makes life easier for passengers,\" explained Agn\u00e8s Ogier, Marketing Director of SNCF Voyages, recently at the Univ'AirPlus event. Passengers are used to receiving this information for private use, but they also need to be able to find it in the professional world\".<\/div>\n
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For business travellers, SNCF has launched the Compagnon Pro application, available on Blackberry and iPhone smartphones and, since September, on Android. Compagnon Pro can be customised with the logo of the client company, and gives access to pre-registered data, such as the agency contact or details of the journey. Above all, the application can be used to modify e-tickets booked at Pro Premi\u00e8re and Pro Seconde fares. This service is important because, according to a study carried out in 2010, the average exchange rate for Pro fare customers is 21?%, with 70?% of exchanges taking place on the day of departure. \"Our aim is always to improve the fluidity and management of mobility for business customers, for whom this remains their main expectation\", explains Val\u00e9rie Assayag, SNCF Voyages Sales Director. Since September, Compagnon Pro has also provided information in the event of disruption and, more traditionally, the number of the departure platform and the services available on board the train.<\/div>\n
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\n\"\"The next major step after the introduction of the e-ticket, followed by the frequent flyer loyalty card as a ticket support, is the dematerialised ticket. Mobile phones will soon be used as m-tickets - \"m\" for mobile - with tickets received in barcode form. Before rolling out the service across the board, SNCF is testing it out on a selection of lines this autumn, and hopes to solve the problems that ticket inspectors have had with their current readers. It's a much-awaited service,\" adds Val\u00e9rie Assayag. For Eurostar, which has a lot of business traffic, business travellers will very soon be able to buy a completely paperless ticket to London, in particular via their travel agency. This functionality will enable them to avoid having to go to the ticket office\".<\/div>\n
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Always at the forefront of innovation, Eurostar had already launched the mobile ticket in 2011, enabling train tickets to be exchanged from a smartphone. At Thalys, the MobileTicket appeared the same year, in the form of a flashcode, and already accounts for 31?% of journeys with an electronic ticket. \"This makes for greater flexibility, as passengers no longer need to print out their tickets\", Franck Gervais points out.<\/div>\n
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Wifi finds its way<\/h2>\n
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Another major development to be expected in the field of rail mobility is WiFi, which is only just beginning to make inroads on trains. To stay connected during their journey and send e-mails, business travellers want to have access to a wireless Internet network. While some station lounges already offer this service - SNCF Grand Voyageur, Eurostar and DB Lounges in particular - the offer remains marginal during the journey. Thalys was one of the first companies to offer this service, and today 40% of its customers use it in Comfort 1 class... The SNCF has followed a similar path with Box TGV on the TGV Est network, as has DB, which offers the HotSpot service on certain routes (from Frankfurt to Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg and Hanover, etc.), in collaboration with Deutsche Telekom. NTV's TGV Italo is also equipped with this technology, while tests are under way on Eurostar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But what about the business model? For the time being, mobile Internet at 300km\/h is generally subject to a charge, with only Thalys including it in the price of Comfort 1 tickets and in the price of Semi-flex, B2B and Thalys The Pass Comfort 2 tickets. The technological investment is astronomical: the SNCF has invested \u20ac50m to equip the trains running on its TGV Est network! Customers want this service, but they don't want to pay for it,\" says Barbara Dalibard, Director General of SNCF Voyages. We need to find the right economic system while offering passengers a quality service\". So it's time to think again. The SNCF, like its subsidiaries, is in less of a hurry on the subject as many business travellers have their own 3G mobile system that they use both in stations and during the journey.<\/div>\n
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The presence or absence of WiFi does not seem to be a decisive factor in the eyes of passengers... In any case, it does not seem likely to call into question the superiority of trains over planes on short journeys. This is all the more true given that, in parallel with all these technological developments, the rail companies are taking great care with the services they offer business travellers. Because, as well as fares and journey times, the travel experience is important to companies and travel managers. Thalys has just launched its Salon, a business lounge that can be reserved for four business travellers. Deutsche Bahn, for its part, is publicising the work compartments installed behind the ICE driver.<\/div>\n
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To make the difference, the SNCF is playing the \"entre-soi\" card with the Espace Pro 1\u00e8re, a coach dedicated to passengers travelling at the Pro fare, available on weekdays and during rush hour between Paris and Aix, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Rennes and Strasbourg. Customers benefit from a personalised welcome, complimentary newspapers, a free drink and a catering service at the seat, for a fee. \"<\/div>\n
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Silence on the trains<\/h2>\n
\n\"\"Initial feedback from customers on the Espace Pro 1\u00e8re is much higher than the satisfaction rate for First Class. Although this offer covers 60% to 70% of journeys made by professionals, SNCF still needs to make it clearer, as some users do not understand why it cannot be used on all TGV routes. Classic Intercit\u00e9s trains have not been forgotten either, as they offer a quiet area at both ends of the train in first and second class. However, Val\u00e9rie Assayag concedes that \"this area is quiet as long as passengers respect this tranquillity\". What remains to be resolved is the issue of the inappropriate use of mobile phones...<\/div>\n
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Eurostar is following suit with the introduction in mid-September of its \"Silent Spaces\" designed to preserve the peace and quiet of Business Premier and Standard Premier travellers. Business customers in cars 8 and 11 of each Eurostar train are encouraged not to make or receive telephone calls in these areas. Deutsche Bahn, for its part, gives its passengers the choice of travelling on board its ICE trains either in the mobile phone zone, where they can make calls freely, or in the quiet zone, which will be further optimised. The widespread use of mobile terminals does not exclude the application of elementary rules of politeness...<\/div>\n