It all started with an acid tweet from Alain Krakovitch, the head of TGV and Intercités at SNCF. “Paris-Nantes is less than 2 hours away by @TGVINOUI. @PSG_interiorI once again renew our #TGV offer proposal adapted to your specific needs, for our common interests: safety, speed, services and eco-mobility”.
The football club is thus criticized for favoring commercial aircraft for its trips during the days of the championship when, in fact, there is a “tailor-made” train privatization offer proposed by SNCF. But what is the scope of this offer? Called “Special Trains”, this service allows the partial or total privatization of a TGV, Intercités or TER train.
all lines involved
“Thanks to our offer, live the experience of the measure by privatizing all or part of a train, and benefit from unique advantages and services. To make your project a reality, our teams accompany you step by step and listen to your needs and wishes” you can read on the SNCF website.
The operator explains to BFM Business that this offer can, for example, be perfectly adapted to a football team. But also to an association, a company, a communication agency for events, a shoot or even individuals for a special event.
And this offer is rather taken advantage of since the SNCF tells us that 300 TGV privatizations have been carried out since the beginning of the year.
How does it work? All possible connections operated by SNCF are affected by this service, whether by TGV and/or Intercités but also by TER. But also so-called “exotic” connections, which are not offered on conventional trade routes.
Departures can be made from a central station but not only. The operator mentions in particular the TGV stations of Ile-de-France such as Massy TGV.
The SNCF also ensures that the “schedules are guaranteed” and that “the security services at the station and/or on board are offered through SUGE, the railway security service and this, according to the expressed need, in addition to the privatization of the TGV”.
on board services
At the pier or on board, special services can also be offered. “SNCF and its partners help you orchestrate the staging of your event, on each of its stages. A VIP welcome at the station with a private platform and a red carpet? A la carte dining, at the bar or in the square? Leisure activities and dedicated cars? Everything is possible. You have the keys in your hand to organize the best possible experience”, we explain.
It is even possible to customize the dressing of the queue. “Vistrophanies, seat headrests, stickers… Multiple supports are at your disposal so that your train is perfectly in your image”, assures the SNCF.
However, the offer has some limits, especially for late returns. This option is only possible if the train is fully privatized and if the network allows it. In fact, many lines are closed at night for construction.
If the train is not fully privatized, it must respect the open tracks on the given date, explains the operator.
Finally, there is the question of price. “We do not indicate any price, each order is made to measure and discretionally according to each expressed need,” explains a SNCF spokesman.
But if we add all the services, in particular security, restoration, etc., the bill can quickly become very high.
Source: BFM TV
