Be careful at the beginning. It was this Sunday, June 15 that Trenitalia officially launches its new high -speed connection between Paris and Marseille aboard its frequency Rossa (“Red Arrows”).
The Italian operator will provide four round trips per day between Paris-Gare-de-Lyon and Saint-Charles de Marseille de la Marseille, at 3:20 am and serve the TGV stations Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Avignon TGV and Aix-en-Provence.
To counteract SNCF travelers who offer no less than 26 trips per day with their TGV Inoui and Ouigo, Trenitalia is betting on the comfort of their trains and, of course, for prices.
Italian comfort
As with Paris-Milan, travelers who will go to Marseille will embark on the red arrows, these high-speed trains on a floor made by the Japanese Hitachi.
Emphasis is placed on comfort, with four classes, comfortable seats, an itinerant catering service or instead of business, a very premium executive class, developments for professional customers such as meeting rooms, Wi -Fi, Italian cuisine and an online entertainment platform.
Floors to conquer market share
Atrolled by the frequency of SNCF TGV, Trenitalia must also stand out for prices with an aggressive policy, at least in its phase of conquest. And in fact, ticket prices Available by the Italian company varies according to the schedules between 27 and 45 euros per form.
Comparisons are always difficult. If the lowest prices of SNCF travelers are close to Trenitalia, 19 euros in Ouigo, 25 euros in incredible, in fact, the differences are more notable.
Example with a game on Wednesday, July 2: Trenitalia offers four trips of 27 euros (37 euros in businesses and 180 euros in executive). On the other hand, on this date, the French company is selling ouigo tickets of 29 euros, but for the unhealthy TGV classic, prices begin at 55 euros.
For a first leg on July 11 and a return on August 9, According to BFMTV’s observationsThe ticket will be 72 euros with Trenitalia against 110 euros for the SNCF. Note that these prices were observed last March and do not take into account a possible reduction or limit such as those offered by the Advantage card that can significantly reduce the gap.
Remember that trainitalia tickets are not sold by SNCF Connect. You have to go to the Site of Trenitalia or alternative platforms such as Trainline, Kombo …
Refund, exchange, delay
Treitalia highlights a “simple and flexible” price range. Tickets can be exchanged for free until the train leaves (but it can be adjusted to the speed in force). The new reserve must be related to a trip that will be made within a maximum of six months from the date of the first change. They can be canceled and reimbursable until the scheduled start time with a 20%deposit.
In case of delay, Treitalia reimburses 25% of the price of the ticket if this delay is between one and 2 hours and rises to 50% if the delay is more than two hours.
As the consumer association points out that Choisir, “SNCF makes much better” thanks to the G30 guarantee that allows you to obtain a partial refund of 30 minutes late. The reimbursement reaches 25% of the price of the ticket for 30 minutes two hours late, 50% between two and three hours and 75% beyond.
Prices that are destined to return
Treitalia does not hide it: its margins are clearly sacrificed to propose these prices, which generates financial losses. And with its entrance ticket to 27 euros, Trenitalia recognizes it: This offer is not profitable. But it’s about quickly taking some market fees and gaining notoriety.
At the same time, the company benefits from temporary discounts on the tolls that any railway company pays to the SNCF network to circulate on the roads, and that are among the most expensive in Europe in the busiest lines such as Paris-Marseille accurately (up to 40% of the price of a ticket).
The Italian operator would have obtained a great discount for Paris-Marsella. According to our information, it would be 30 million euros for the period from June 2025 to June 2028.
What is far from insignificant related to billing and, therefore, would allow Trenitalia to consolidate its tariff approach. But once the period discount has been completed, Treitalia will probably have no choice but to raise your prices, unless you support losses.
Source: BFM TV
