The high cost of train tickets on the May 8 Bridge

We have increased ticket prices for an outbound trip on Wednesday, May 8, as well as a return trip on Sunday, May 12. Our choice of routes was based on the most popular national lines in France, as well as on summer destinations close to the sea. Here are the results of this survey, showing the evolution of prices over time.

Buy your TGV tickets as early as possible to pay the least

This was already the case at Christmas time, but the Ascension Bridge seems even more revealing. During the Christmas holidays, bookings are spread over two weeks, while during this bridge, travel dates are much less flexible. The SNCF often advises you to postpone your trip in time to benefit from more advantageous prices, but this advice finds its limit here.

For the return journey on May 12, the increase is less marked. However, we note that ticket prices are frequently already high as soon as sales open, and then they tend to stay that way.

It is always better to book quickly to ensure a place on board, as many trains become full after just a few weeks.

How SNCF determines train ticket prices for the Ascension Bridge

Are we paying more for our tickets for the Ascension Bridge period, compared to usual? “ Our prices do not change, whether for May holidays or for an off-peak period. We have a price range, we play on this range. But we do not change this range depending on the travel periods », answers SNCF Voyageurs.

SNCF uses the principle of “Yield management” to determine its train ticket prices. The modulation is not done according to the period, explains SNCF Voyageurs, but according to the filling of the trains (with the objective of filling each train as much as possible). “ We have around fifteen price levels for each destination. These are not static rules, from one train to another, there is not the same number of tickets in each level. » The way in which the levels are distributed for each train is not precisely explained. The SNCF simply indicates that it depends on several factors: “ destinations served, crowds, week or weekend, forecasts “.

Thus, for the bridge from May 8 to 12, SNCF Voyageurs explains to us: “ on certain destinations, there may be fewer low prices from the start, but they exist “. Before adding: “ We don't start at exorbitant prices. » However, as soon as sales opened, several journeys were already sold for more than €100: €125 for a TGV INOUI between Paris and Marseille on May 8, €168 for the return; €129 for a Paris – Toulouse return trip on May 8 or a Toulouse – Paris return trip on May 12 by TGV INOUI.

Trains quickly and often full

The need to book your ticket quickly is not only linked to rising prices, but to the speed or frequency with which certain journeys are sold out. The following graph illustrates, on all of our statements over 3 months, the train completion rate (certain trains displayed as “full” sometimes become reservable later, then become “full” again).

For example, we see below that a Toulouse-Paris journey was only bookable for 3 weeks out of the 15 weeks preceding the date of the trip.

To allow you to book a less expensive train ticket, SNCF Voyageurs indicates that it offers “ low prices on TGV and Intercités throughout the year thanks, among other things, to the Avantage Card and the OUIGO offer. 1 out of 2 leisure high-speed tickets (TGV INOUI and OUIGO) is sold for less than €45. »

What about OUIGOs?

Among our findings, 2 reserved return journeys are made on board OUIGO trains. We note that as soon as sales open, two journeys are already sold at full price, €99 (the maximum price of the ticket on board OUIGO), namely a Paris – Bordeaux journey on May 8, and a Lyon – Paris journey on May 12.

The OUIGO train going from Paris to Lyon on May 8 is priced at €45 on opening, while the Bordeaux – Paris train on May 12 is at €89 on opening day. Both will then align with the price of €99 after a few weeks.

TGV OUIGO trains are presented as the SNCF's low-cost and “low price” offer, allowing travel from €10 for an adult. “ Over the year, 1 in 2 OUIGO tickets is sold for less than €30 », says SNCF Voyageurs. This cheaper offer, however, turns out to be much less advantageous during periods of high booking demand, since tickets are already offered at the maximum price.

A solution to pay less: the Avantage card

What about TGV INOUI trains, tickets for which are booked with an Avantage card (return and return tickets booked together to benefit from the most attractive rates)? This reduction card, sold at the price of €49 for one year, allows you to benefit from reductions and capped prices (depending on the duration of the journey).

Our statements actually indicate that prices are more attractive with the Avantage card than without, for selected journeys (excluding OUIGO, trains which remember are not open to the Avantage card).

More and more French people are taking the train

Rising prices and trains that are quickly and often full confirm the French's enthusiasm for this mode of transport, particularly during popular periods such as the Ascension Bridge with two public holidays. In 2023, SNCF transported 122 million passengers in its TGV trains, i.e. 4% more than in 2022. The trend seems to continue in 2024.

Faced with this enthusiasm, is the SNCF fleet still sufficient? The number of TGVs is decreasing: 363 oars (figures indicated in December 2023) compared to 410 in July 2018. However, the SNCF indicates that the number of places offered has increased by 10% over this period.