SNCF: TGV ticket prices increased by 7% in 2023 (contrary to what was promised)

How much have TGV train ticket prices actually increased in 2023? Faced with soaring inflation, the SNCF announced an average increase of 5% over the past year. Problem, the account is not there, according to calculations by the transport regulatory authority (ART).

According to the figures from this independent public authority, released this Thursday, June 27, 2024, “the “average price” of high-speed trains increased by 7% in 2023, i.e. more strongly than inflation (Editor’s note: 4.9% according to INSEE). But it “remains lower in real terms than the 2019 level”.

Ouigo fares up by almost 10%

According to ART calculations, “prices have increased for all fare classes and distances travelled, but more sharply for low-cost services Ouigo an annual increase of almost 10%, compared to 5% for other services”.

Prices which had fallen sharply with the health crisis seem to be catching up with the consumer price index (which increased by 5% in 2023), but their evolution remains lower than the cumulative inflation observed since 2019. Prices increased for all fare classes and distances traveled, but more significantly for low-cost Ouigo services.

The ART notes in passing that competition has had a notable effect on prices, citing in particular a 10% reduction in prices on the Paris-Lyon axis.

The higher the train occupancy rate, the more prices increase

Another observation made: the higher the train occupancy rate, the more prices increase. Prices were thus higher in June and Julyconcomitantly with the increase in the average train occupancy rate, while they were lower in January and February.

Another conclusion from the ART: the price per kilometer decreases as the distance increases. On average, it is more than 20% higher for a journey of 100 km compared to a journey of 500 km for example.

But at equal distances, the connections to/from the Île-de-France stations (operated largely on the high-speed line network), display a price level almost 10% higher than that of the Île-de-France stations. connections between regional stations, called transversal.

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