SNCF sets new high-speed targets for 2020 following huge investment
Posted: 31 May 2017 | | No comments yet
In a bid to attract 15 million new customers by 2020, SNCF plans to offer customers a choice of two high-speed rail options.
Credit SNCF
In a bid to attract 15 million new customers by 2020, SNCF plans to offer customers a choice of two high-speed rail options.
Credit SNCF
The two different, but complementary, rail options consist of a low-cost high-speed service – OUIgo – which aims to cater for roughly 25% of the French high-speed rail market by 2020, and a premium offering. The established TGV (soon to be rebranded inOUI) is also high-speed, yet will combine comfort with excellent service and connectivity, and they expect to achieve 95% customer satisfaction by 2020 with this option.
SNCF to build on existing success
Following SNCF’s introduction of OUIgo in 2013, the low-cost option currently serves 5% of all high-speed customers. Over the course of the next three years, however, the company aims to strengthen this share to 25%, by providing good basic high-speed rail travel at low prices (starting at €5 for children and €10 for adults) with 100 per cent digital ticket sales. The service aims to expand five-fold by adding 30 new destinations and 34 train sets to its fleet.
TGV transformation underway
The company’s core high-speed offering, TGV, is also undergoing significant expansion including an enormous €1.5 billion investment in new Océane train sets between the cities of Paris and Bordeaux, as well as investment in over 5,000 customer-facing employees who have received specialist training to improve customer service.
Furthermore, particular attention has been paid to the ever-important Wi-Fi requirement, with €300 million being spent on digital technology.
Rachel Picard, Managing Director at Yoyages SNCF, commented: “InOUI reflects the transformation of our passenger service, which will spur growth throughout our pipeline. It also marks a new management approach for our 20,000 employees – men and women who work every day to deliver outstanding service to our customers.”
The new InOUI offering will be rolled out over the course of the next 30 months, beginning with the Paris-Bordeaux service on 2 July 2017.
Travellers will be able to book their high-speed tickets through the operating company Voyages SNCF, who also offer additional door-to-door mobility options for travellers, including coaches, car-sharing and taxis.