Train ticket prices are rising rapidly. The average price of high-speed trains has increased by 7% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to a document published Thursday by the Transport Regulatory Authority (ART), which is more than inflation, but it “remains lower in real terms than the 2019 level.”
The prices of TGV or Intercités trains, “which had fallen sharply with the health crisis, seem to be catching up,” explains ART in its annual report. The SNCF had promised not to increase its prices by more than 5% on average in 2023.
Low-cost Ouigo offer also affected
They have notably increased for the low-cost Ouigo offer, with a rise of 10% according to the ART, while at the same time annual inflation stood at 4.9%.
The Authority also noted that the higher the train occupancy rate, the more prices increase, for example in June and July, “while they are lower in January and February”.
In 2023, occupancy rates reached record levels (77%), particularly on high-speed routes. Attendance increased everywhere while at the same time, train service declined slightly (-1%) according to the ART.
“With 108 billion passenger-kilometers transported (the sector’s benchmark unit), rail passenger numbers have reached a record level in France for the second consecutive year, 6% higher than the 2022 level,” the authority states.
But the rail offer “is down slightly, in particular due to the social movements of March 2023”, she continues. Without the strikes, “the supply would have increased by 2%”, underlines the ART. The lack of train supply is often pointed out in France as demand explodes and trains fill up more and more quickly, particularly in summer and during long weekends.
Increased attendance
The craze for trains was confirmed in 2023 with increased ridership on regional trains (+7%) and high-speed trains (+5%). Everywhere, ridership on TER and Intercités far exceeds the level before the Covid-19 pandemic (+21%), with the exception of Île-de-France, where it remains 6% lower.
The success of passenger trains is a European phenomenon as ridership has increased almost everywhere, with increases of up to 32% in Spain or 15% in Great Britain.
There is still a shadow on the horizon: the decline in rail freight, which is even more pronounced in France. The decline in 2022 was confirmed in 2023 (-17% of goods transported), particularly due to strikes against pension reform and the landslide in the Maurienne Valley.
In Europe, the decline was only 8%. This new fall should further degrade the modal share of freight in goods transport, already low in France (11%) compared to the European average (17%).
