ERIC PIERMONT / AFP
For the first anniversary of the “Ouigo-Train Classique” network, the SNCF will put on sale this Tuesday, May 23, 10,000 Ouigo train tickets at one euro. (Photo: An old Corail train used for the new low-cost “Ouigo Train Classique” offer)
ECONOMY – “Let’s train! » For the first anniversary of the low cost network “Ouigo-Classic Train”, the SNCF will put on sale this Tuesday, May 23, 10,000 Ouigo tickets at one euro, for trips between May 24 and July 5. Tickets will be reserved on the Ouigo application or on the website ouigo.com. The offer, which will start at 7 a.m. sharp, will last only 24 hours.
THE “Ouigo classic train”, not to be confused with the “Ouigo High Speed” which are TGVs, were launched last year on the Paris – Lyon and Paris – Nantes axes, with 14 destinations served across the country (Saumur, Angers, Mâcon, Dijon, etc.). If you plan to travel in Île-de-France, these Ouigos also mark the stop in several stations in the inner and outer suburbs, including Juvisy, Massy, Versailles-Chantiers, Melun and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.
1 year = 1 euro. The calculations are good. 😎
— OUIGO (@OUIGO)
A maximum price of €50 per year
With these Ouigo, which are in fact the old rehabilitated “Coral” trains, travelers have time to look out the window. The journeys are indeed much longer than by TGV, because their speed is similar to that of a TER or an Intercités. A Paris-Nantes thus lasts 3h50, against 2h20 on average. A Paris-Lyon takes 5 hours, compared to less than 2 hours by TGV.
On the other hand, the prices of these journeys are lower than on the TGV or even the traditional TER. According to the French railway company, tickets cost between €10 and €49. And for children, it’s 5 €. This formula ” long but cheap trains “Works very well with the public, assure our colleagues from TF1. Especially since it was created in a context of sharp price increases: prices have increased by 5% since January 2023.
The SNCF prides itself on having transported 1.3 million passengers over the past year in its Ouigo. A third of them would be young people. This is why the company is thinking of extending this offer to new cities, such as Bordeaux, Marseille, Rennes, Lille or even Brussels.
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