It’s already Christmas at the SNCF, but the gift is not to everyone’s taste. The company put its tickets on sale for the end-of-year holidays this Wednesday, October 2.
First observation: over 2024, TGV ticket prices have increased by 2.5% (after an increase of 5% last year). The SNCF reminds us that our taxes do not finance all trains. Travelers themselves pay to run the TGVs, unlike TERs, which are subsidized. The Regions cover 3/4 of the ticket price.
The main advice: make a decision as quickly as possible. The earlier you decide, the cheaper it is! Of the six million train tickets sold for the Christmas holidays, one million will leave this Wednesday, on the first day. This is the principle at SNCF: the earlier you book – generally three months in advance – the more likely you are to find low prices. So don’t wait, because once online, prices can only increase.
Another tip: aim for slightly off schedules (early morning or late evening). And if you leave on Thursday afternoon instead of Friday, you will pay 20 to 30% less. When you opt for a less popular train, even at the last minute, prices will stay lower for longer.
The politics of demand
To fill his trains, SNCF varies its prices depending on demand and the reservation period. If a fixed price were set, the ticket price would be too expensive for a large part of the population, according to the railway company.
This therefore offers entry prices to fill its trains, even if it means charging more for those who have more means or who decide at the last moment. On the SNCF Connect app, a tab mentions the cheapest and most expensive price for each journey.
With this system, prices vary globally from 1 to 5. For example, a Paris-Marseille TGV, depending on the period, costs between 25 and… 131 euros.
Read more
Related News :