Departures on vacation have taken the water for some, if we believe the testimonies of Internet users who complain that they saw their train this summer canceled. Contacted by Le Parisien, the SNCF explains that it had to revise its summer transport plan due to too few reservations.
"Since June 2, we have assured all of our travelers that the TGV Inoui, Ouigo and Intercités trains available for sale on our various distribution channels are guaranteed to operate," specifies the SNCF communications department. The health crisis has had a very strong impact on French travel plans and the occupancy rates recorded to date in July (10 to 15%) and August (6%) are very low ”.
SNCF has therefore taken the decision to "rationalize the circulation of its high speed and long distance trains to offer a nominal offer (between 95% and 100%) allowing a maximum of travelers to go on vacation this summer. "
"The proportion of attractive prices under € 49 has been multiplied by 2"
In this logic, some trains with very low occupancy observed before June 2 were canceled to the chagrin of their passengers. This concerns less than 5% of trains this summer, according to the SNCF.
Customers who have booked tickets on these trains have been contacted or will be contacted shortly, SNCF's Voyageurs service told us. "In this case, they have the option of switching to a train running on the same day at similar prices or of canceling their ticket free of charge," says SNCF.
To compensate for this inconvenience, the proportion of attractive prices under 49 euros was multiplied by 2 in July and August, representing 25% of the summer offer, adds SNCF. "Many places are still available on other trains on the same destinations," concludes the SNCF.