The Italian railway giant Trenitalia is preparing a new offensive in France. After Paris-Lyon, the company is targeting the Paris-Marseille line from 2023. Increased competition is looming for the SNCF. What will be the consequences for travelers? Discover the details of this ambitious project which could well redistribute the cards for French rail transport…
The French railway landscape is on the verge of a new upheaval. According to sources close to the matter, the Italian giant Trenitalia is preparing to launch a TGV connection between Paris and Marseille from 2023. An ambitious project which demonstrates the expansionist aims of the transalpine company and which promises increased competition for the SNCF on its lines. headlights.
Trenitalia Goes Big on the Paris-Marseille Axis
Already present on the Paris-Lyon line since the end of 2021, Trenitalia intends to continue its conquest of the French market. And for good reason, the connection between the capital and the Marseille city is among the top 5 most popular destinations in France. A windfall that the Italian company could not ignore any longer.
Concretely, Trenitalia plans to run its red TGVs on the rails of Provence before the summer of 2023. A tight schedule which can be explained by the company's desire to take advantage of the high tourist season, a period when trains are full for weeks in advance.
We are positioning ourselves on this route because it is in the top five destinations in France.
Marco Caposciutti, PDG of Trenitalia France
Synergies to Optimize Costs
To optimize its offer, the transalpine company intends to rely on synergies with its Paris-Lyon line. Thus, all trains departing from or destined for the capital will stop at Lyon station. Likewise, the maintenance of the trains could be shared between the two connections in workshops rented from the SNCF in the Paris region.
A strategy that pays off on paper but which will have to prove itself in the field. Because if success is there between Paris and Lyon, there is no guarantee that it will be the same on the link to Marseille where competition from SNCF and carpooling is particularly fierce.
Paris-Lyon-Milan in the Pipes
At the same time as the launch of its TGVs to the Marseille city, Trenitalia is working on the reopening of the Paris-Lyon-Milan line. An axis closed since a landslide that occurred last summer in Maurienne and whose reopening is hoped for spring 2023.
Here again, the transalpine operator is banking on synergies to boost the profitability of this international connection. Starting with the pooling of trains and crews with the company's Paris-Lyon TGVs.
SNCF Faces a Major Challenge
With these large-scale projects, Trenitalia is establishing itself as a serious competitor for SNCF. A major challenge for the French company which has seen its market share crumble on Paris-Lyon since the arrival of Italian TGVs at the end of 2021.
To counter the transalpine offensive, the SNCF could well be tempted to revise its price scale downwards. A prospect which would certainly delight travelers but which would weigh on the finances of the French operator, already undermined by the health crisis and competition from carpooling.
We are in the process of recruiting forty people.
Marco Caposciutti, PDG of Trenitalia France
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A Buoyant Dynamic for Rail
Beyond head-on competition between operators, the arrival of Trenitalia on new domestic markets is excellent news for the railway sector as a whole. By boosting supply and lowering prices, the Italian company is helping to make the train more attractive compared to other modes of transport such as plane or car.
A virtuous dynamic which could well encourage new travelers to take the plunge and prefer rail for their daily trips or getaways. Enough to bring color back to a sector that has long been lagging behind and which intends to play a key role in the ecological transition.
High-speed trains, low prices and great comfort: this is Trenitalia's promise to attract French travelers. See you on the quays in 2023 to see if the mayonnaise takes hold and if the SNCF takes up the gauntlet against this new attacker from La Botte. One thing is certain: the rail battle has only just begun!
At the same time as the launch of its TGVs to the Marseille city, Trenitalia is working on the reopening of the Paris-Lyon-Milan line. An axis closed since a landslide that occurred last summer in Maurienne and whose reopening is hoped for spring 2023.
Here again, the transalpine operator is banking on synergies to boost the profitability of this international connection. Starting with the pooling of trains and crews with the company's Paris-Lyon TGVs.
SNCF Faces a Major Challenge
With these large-scale projects, Trenitalia is establishing itself as a serious competitor for SNCF. A major challenge for the French company which has seen its market share crumble on Paris-Lyon since the arrival of Italian TGVs at the end of 2021.
To counter the transalpine offensive, the SNCF could well be tempted to revise its price scale downwards. A prospect which would certainly delight travelers but which would weigh on the finances of the French operator, already undermined by the health crisis and competition from carpooling.
We are in the process of recruiting forty people.
Marco Caposciutti, PDG of Trenitalia France
A Buoyant Dynamic for Rail
Beyond head-on competition between operators, the arrival of Trenitalia on new domestic markets is excellent news for the railway sector as a whole. By boosting supply and lowering prices, the Italian company is helping to make the train more attractive compared to other modes of transport such as plane or car.
A virtuous dynamic which could well encourage new travelers to take the plunge and prefer rail for their daily trips or getaways. Enough to bring color back to a sector that has long been lagging behind and which intends to play a key role in the ecological transition.
High-speed trains, low prices and great comfort: this is Trenitalia's promise to attract French travelers. See you on the quays in 2023 to see if the mayonnaise takes hold and if the SNCF takes up the gauntlet against this new attacker from La Botte. One thing is certain: the rail battle has only just begun!
