The announcement was expected. For several weeks, Clément Beaune has been repeating in the media his desire to set up summer fare discounts for all train users. It’s now done. The Minister in charge of Transport this morning unveiled his “extremely simple and extremely powerful” device. As of today, 200,000 Intercités train tickets are on sale at a fixed price of 19 euros.
Reservable until July 15, these places concern journeys between July 7 and August 31 on all Intercités lines. Accessible to all travelers unconditionally, “this popular measure helps to relieve the wallet of holidaymakers”, at the very time when the SNCF tariffs are questioning. Fully financed by the state, this reduction should make it possible to halve the average price of Intercity tickets which “is traditionally around 35 euros during the summer”. More concretely, on each Intercités journey, there will be a specific number of places at 19 euros.
The Intercités represent only a small part of passenger traffic. In 2022, these territorial balance trains had transported nearly 12 million people, according to the Minister’s estimates. A trifle compared to the 23 million French people who took the TGV last summer. However, the State cannot act directly on the prices of high-speed trains, which depend on SNCF Voyageurs. Nor on those of the TER, orchestrated by the regions. But only on those of Intercités, the last railway prerogative of the Ministry of Transport.
Other devices for reducing the price of train tickets should soon see the light of day. The Minister of Transport hopes to create a single pass by next summer. Reserved for young people, it should give access to all daily transport (Intercités, TER, coaches, buses, bicycles, etc.) throughout the territory. But for the time being, only the tariff reduction measures put in place by the regions exist. In Occitania, under-26s benefit, for example, from TER tickets at €1 from July 14 to August 15.