French rail travel: SNCF adds 500,000 extra train seats due to summer demand

The Local
23 June 2022 (France)

In order to meet an expected record demand over the summer, French train operator SNCF has announced that it will out an extra 500,000 tickets on sale.

SNCF says it is looking at a “record summer” for train travel, as tourists flock back to France after two years of stringent Covid regulations.

In order to cope with the influx of passengers, SNCF’s CEO, Jean-Pierre Farandou, announced on Thursday that the company would put 500,000 additional seats on sale. 

“We’re off to a record summer,” said Farandou. The train operator says they have already sold over eight million tickets for the key vacation months of July and August – a 10 percent increase from 2019. 

“We are at capacity, so we will add trains. We will also create double configurations to allow two trains at a time,” explained Farandou. 

Farandou added that though trains might be full for the big vacation days, there are “still spaces” outside of these periods that are available.

The announcement comes as several airlines – namely Easyjet and Ryanair – have announced plans for strikes this summer. Long lines, staff shortages, and strikes at key airports have made travel by train more attractive than air journeys for many.

Source
https://www.thelocal.fr/20220623/frances-train-operator-adds-500000-extra-seats-on-trains-this-summer/