Behind Trenitalia, other SNCF competitors are moving slowly to launch TGVs

Trenitalia is launching its second offensive in France. The historic transalpine rail operator, which has been running high-speed trains on the Paris-Lyon route since December 2021, is launching its Frecciarossa this Sunday to attack the Paris-Marseille route. To fill its three daily round trips, the Italian rail company has launched an advertising campaign in the metro with the evocative title: " The best way to get a place in the sun is to book it. " According to Kombo, which sells train tickets online, Trenitalia was offering prices 37% lower than those of the SNCF in March when sales opened on this line.

This all-out attack on the historic French rail operator should not obscure the essential fact: four and a half years after the high-speed train market was opened to competition, very few companies have dared to come and bite the old French railway lady in the butt. Renfe has been trying since the summer of 2023...