Are Ouigo trains really dirtier and subject to more “malfunctions” than classic TGVs?

Are Ouigo trains dirtier, less well maintained and more dangerous than others? The question arises, while several SNCF unions wanted “sound the alarm”pointing to a certain number of “dysfunctions” of which the famous pink and blue trains would be victims. Staff representatives cite in particular problems of cleanliness, the presence of parasites and other pests or even blocked toilets in certain trains. They also point out safety problems, such as doors that no longer work or defective axles. Serious accusations which cast opprobrium on Ouigo trains, even though the latter are particularly popular with the ever-increasing number of travelers using them: in 2024, 25 million trips will have been made on this low-cost branch of the SNCF.

“Over the last three months, the Ouigo TGVs have accumulated more incidents (…) and train cancellations than over the last two years, on all routes combined”denounce the unions in a press release. Evoking “a low-cost model running out of steam”with a “overuse of aging trains” et “reduced workshop visits”the organizations brandish the threat of a strike to put pressure on management. “If this continues, there is a real security risk”even believes Arnaud Marcinkiewicz. The secretary of CGT Cheminots still refuses to talk about «danger» : “I am not a soothsayer, but today it is our role to alert […]. We did it internally, it did not succeed and today, those who are toast are the travelers and the agents whose working conditions are degraded”.

Criticisms strongly condemned by the SNCF