Departures by train: Friday will be “the busiest day of the summer”, announces the SNCF

orange with media services, published on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 4:30 p.m

Several records were set this summer by the rail company, which sold more than 18 million long-distance tickets for July and August.

The SNCF is on course to record a “visitor record” this summer. According to a statement from the company on Wednesday, July 27, the level of reservations is 10% higher at the end of July there are already records from 2019 before the Covid 19 pandemic. According to SNCF Voyageurs, Friday should be “the busiest day of the summer” as 400,000 passengers are expected on the main line.

SNCF has sold to date more than 18 million long-distance tickets for July and August, The figure reaches 22 million by adding the TERs marketed on the SNCF Connect website or application, she told AFP. “This is a reservation level that’s up nearly 10% on the same day compared to 2019,” she added. Occasional and weekend TER ridership is also excellent, up almost 20% compared to 2019.

The Mediterranean remains the most popular travel destination

Not surprisingly, the main departure weekends of July 8-9-10 (1.3 million passengers on TGV and Intercités), the bridge of July 14 (2 million) and the big crossing of July 29, 30 and 31 (1 million and a third of the full TGVs) were or will be particularly busy. The most popular destinations are of course the Mediterranean, the South West and Brittany, with the “top 5” most popular cities being Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Avignon, like last year.

The Grand Est is also popular this year remarkable increase in bookings to Nancy (+56% over a year), Metz (+50%) and Reims (+63%). “All available trains are in circulation this summer,” the public company pointed out, while many trains are already full or have become very expensive without a discount card.

she counts operate 800 TGV and Intercités dailyslightly more than 2019 (+2% for TGVs) to ensure the train maintenance schedule was “robust and adapted to this increased traffic”.

6 million available seats for the month of August

“More than 6 million seats are still available on long-distance trains in August,” added SNCF Voyageurs. SNCF always advises its travelers to wear a mask, even if it is not mandatory.

In addition, the public group will soon add new features to SNCF Connect: the ability to choose one step, payment by Apple Pay, or “Low price alert” to be informed about the availability of his rides at a certain price. The ability to pay for your train ticket online with (dematerialized) holiday vouchers is popular with customers, according to SNCF Voyages.