Train ticket prices in France could go up for a second time this year
TGV, TER, and Intercity train tickets could all be hit by rising network access charges
Increasing rail network tolls are said to be the reason behind a second expected rise in ticket prices
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Ticket prices for high-speed TGVs, TER and Intercity trains may increase for a second time this year as the tolls train companies pay to access the rail network increase, reports the French daily newspaper Le Parisien.
SNCF R茅seau, the company that manages the rail network, last month increased the tolls that trains will have to pay next year. The hike is 7.6% for TGV and Intercity trains and 8% for the regional TER ones. These tolls will increase by 4% in 2025 and 2026.
These charges represent 70% of SNCF R茅seau鈥檚 funding to maintain the tracks. An SNCF R茅seau representative told Le Parisien that inflation is up on its worksites due to the significant increase in raw material prices.
However, SNCF R茅seau also needs to balance the books in 2024, a promise made to the French state when the latter took on shares and a 鈧�35 million debt.
Read also: Train tickets for the French summer season now on sale
An SNCF Voyageur administrator said tolls represent 40% of SNCF ticket prices, so there will 鈥渋nevitably鈥� be consequences.
To pay these increased tolls, French train operator SNCF may cut the number of trains running to focus on the most profitable lines.
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