Bar, first class, no crowds when you sit down. here is Ouigo Spain. Three back-to-back seats, no bar, no premiere and an almost guaranteed crowd at boarding. welcome to Ouigo France! It is true that both entities belong to SNCF, but everything separates them. Because from the beginning Ouigo brothers bear the same name, but they do not meet the same goals.
In France, the Ouigo was launched to prevent competition from dominating the segment low price. It was first introduced at high speed in 2013 and then at regular speed last April to counter the inclinations of German operator Flixtrain, whose good idea was to reinvent the Corail train. In Spain, SNCF took advantage of national operator Renfe’s choice of premium service and full-price tickets on its AVE high-speed train.
For the tricolor motorway operator, whose duplex (double-decker) trains have offered high capacity (509 seats) since their launch in May 2021, not to mention much cheaper network access costs on the other side of the Pyrenees. Today, trains connect Madrid to Barcelona with stops in Zaragoza and Tarragona, and nearly 2 million travelers have already boarded our neighbors. In France, SNCF closes its market. Elsewhere, he’s taking chances.
The success of Ouigo Spain
Ouigo Spain has been a huge success. To the point of forcing Renfe to create its own low-cost train, the Avlo, and giving Trenitalia, Italy’s national operator, dreams of conquering the Iberian Peninsula. But to appeal to the Spanish public, SNCF decided to offer the superior Ouigo, which is ultimately very similar to the French TGV inOui, albeit cheaper for passengers. “The bar was important because it’s part of Spanish culture”explained Helen Valenzuela, director of Ouigo Spain, when it was launched.
Seat selection and the ability to carry a large suitcase are optional at a cost of €9 “Ouigo plus”. This extra tithe also gives you the chance to get a “priority” seat on Premiere, even if it’s very surprising to buy a service that can be accidental. Finally, add another €7 and the ticket becomes variable (with fare adjustment). Otherwise, the change will incur a €30 charge in addition to the tariff adjustment. In France, the rules are stricter: it is impossible to change your ticket.
With six to seven daily round trips between Barcelona and Madrid, Ouigo seems well established, with prices ranging from €15 to €85 a second. To increase its fleet and continue its Spanish expansion, SNCF severed its partnership with Elipsos, a company jointly owned by SNCF and Renfe, which operates high-speed trains between France and Spain. SNCF has withdrawn six trains from it, which will allow the opening of the second line between Madrid and Valence on October 7. And the company is considering further connections to Seville, Malaga and Córdoba by the end of 2023.
Reduction of TGV supply in France
In Spain, unlike France, the development of Ouigo was not at the expense of the traditional TGV. There, Ouigo offers Renfe an additional service, while in France SNCF has created Ouigo connections, eliminating TGVs. This is why we are now looking at timetables without high-speed trains in many destinations such as Montpellier or Toulouse. Added to this is the incompatibility of services, for example it is impossible to take the Ouigo instead of the TGV or vice versa, due to the reduced supply, which causes great suffering for passengers traveling for medical reasons. specialists. In air transport, Air France faces the same problem with its subsidiary low price Transavia.
In France, as well as in Spain, tickets are non-refundable, even in the case of Covid. This similarity means not wanting to touch “business” traffic, which requires flexibility. Prices in France range from €10 to €99, and some Ouigo trains are sometimes more expensive than the TGV inOui. On the other hand, if you have an edge or freedom card, Ouigo is no longer competitive.
Additionally, the Ouigo Plus add-on charges €7 for mock perks such as a choice of seat or power socket. Priority boarding in Paris remains a scam. it is never available at every boarding due to crowds. Ditto for the promise of boarding opening 40 minutes before departure, which never actually happens. Finally, when you buy a ticket, the conditions of sale are well hidden. Note that to change the departure or arrival date or station, you must pay a fine of 10 euros per trip and per passenger. In addition to the price adjustment, of course.
Source: Le Figaro
