The ultimate travel hype. THE “train boasting“, the “pride” of preferring this mode of transport. The offline phenomenon also tells about the era. Concerned about their carbon footprint, these new nomads are rediscovering the long term. Supreme luxury.
When Sissy and Vireac (1) boarded the Paris-Vienna overnight train in late June, they had a destination in mind far beyond the Austrian capital. The two thirtysomethings put their IT careers on hold to spend a year traveling in Asia. “Two years ago, we would have bought there by plane, but the ecological consciousness passed,” admits the couple. Following the historic route of the Orient-Express to Istanbul and then crossing the Caucasus, they travel the ancient Silk Road through Central Asia. Their final destination, Bali, is expected to arrive in the spring of 2024. A journey of 15,000 kilometers, which will be divided into stages of different lengths in countries such as Uzbekistan, China or Vietnam. Like Sissi and Vireak, more and more travelers are choosing the train to travel in France, Europe and even beyond. If there’s one sign of its success, it’s the number of tickets sold.
Despite criticism of its fares, which are perceived as too high, SNCF sets new attendance records every summer. Between July and August, the company sold around 24 million TGV tickets, or 10% more than in 2022. If a concern for caring for the planet is driving this choice to a large extent, so too is a desire to be more thoughtful about tourism. Then the journey. is just as important, if not more so, than the destination itself. “This combination of factors explains why the train is moving beyond rail enthusiasts and eco-friendly youngsters to now appeal to a wider, more informed audience,” says Laure Jacquet, director of Discovery Trains, which is dedicated to rail holidays. . Taking the train has become one of the small gestures we all do for the environment, as well as sorting waste or reducing the use of plastic.”
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Return of the railway
However, the train has come a long way in competing with air travel, which has taught us to travel cheaper. Who never succumbed to the ease of flying to Lisbon, Budapest or Rome for a few tens of euros, without the slightest guilt, before Greta Thunberg sounded the alarm in 2018 and started the movement. flygskam the shame of taking a plane. “Until the dawn of the 1990s, rail was still the preferred mode of travel in Europe. Connections were frequent, numerous and cheap, all strengths were undermined by the democratization of the plane, analyzes Jean-Jacques Marcy, an economist specializing in rail transport. Those who experienced this golden age are today more inclined to return to the train out of a bit of nostalgia, while younger generations see it as something new and virtuous, quite in tune with current concerns. »
To support this return, many platforms specializing in low-carbon travel, such as Hourrail, have emerged in recent months. or Once upon a train. 26-year-old Chiara Pellas founded Mollow with two partners. “Most people don’t know that you can go to Greece, Scandinavia or even Morocco without a plane from France. Mollow shows them that it is possible and not so complicated by offering turnkey routes combining train and ferry,” explains the entrepreneur, who mainly relies on the power of social networks. Instagram and others have a part to play in this new craze. “Recounting your trip to Europe in a sleeper cabin, showing you how to work remotely from your seat… It almost becomes a lifestyle that can inspire and convince other travelers,” adds Laure Jacquet.
Until the dawn of the 1990s, rail was still the preferred mode of travel in Europe.
Jean-Jacques Marchy, an economist specializing in rail transport
Exclusive trips
In the luxury segment too, the train is in the dawn of a renaissance. If the Belmond group (LVMH) has been offering rail cruises between Paris and Italy on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for several years, it will soon be challenged by Accor. The hotel group, which now owns the Orient-Express brand, will offer exclusive journeys on the legendary train tracks in 2025 in original Pullman carriages, some of which are nearly a century old. Until then, Accor is also preparing the arrival of La Dolce Vita, a train that will transport travelers from the 1960s to Italy and cross La Botte from 2024. The famous Puy du Fou park in Vendée in France is about to go. started the Grand Tour France with its show train.
Seats are expensive literally – tickets cost thousands of euros – and figuratively. “Rail shipping is nowhere near as advanced as sea shipping. The luxury trains can accommodate only a few dozen passengers per departure, and the demand is such that some sell out a year in advance,” emphasizes Laure Jacquet. For a clientele that once consisted mainly of boomers and now increasingly millennials, riding Rovos Railway (South Africa), Royal Scots (Scotland) or Indo Pacific (Australia) is the dream of a lifetime. a one-of-a-kind experience, timeless, unlike any other journey.”
(1) Sissi & Vireak, @voyageons_slow on Instagram. (2) orient-express.com
Source: Le Figaro
