Twice a day, the Frecciarossa, the high-speed train of the Trenitalia company, makes the connection between Paris and Lyon to Turin. Since the end of 2021, SNCF has therefore a direct competitor on this strategic line.
What does this “red arrow” look like? three classes : a second, a first and a “luxury” class with 10 leather seats as in planes because Trenitalia wants to attract professional customers. For this, it provides a meeting room on board. We must believe that the arrival of a competitor has given ideas to the SNCF, which now offers a “Business Premiere” class with additional on-board services. Until then, the French company only offered two classes in its TGVs.
Who says competition says more competitive tickets. With Trentitalia, tickets cost around 45 euros for a Paris-Lyon, or 7 euros less than the SNCF. However, you have to be careful because these are call rates, the prices will not always be at this level.
The launch of the line officially took place on December 18, 2021. After two months, the general manager of Trenitalia is delighted toa “very positive” result : “Our trains were 83% full over the period of December and January”. Rates that climbed to 98% during the end of year holidays. “It is beyond our expectations”congratulate Roberto Rinaudo.
2 round trips per day for Trenitalia against 24 for the SNCF. The Italian competitor should ramp up in the coming months with three additional round trips on the Paris-Lyon line by the end of the first half of 2022. For its part, the SNCF always remains competitive thanks to its many round trips as well as the low-cost offer it offers with Ouigo.
