France’s national rail operator, SNCF, is ditching one of its best-known trademarks to rebrand its TGV trains as InOui, and getting ready for competition from independent rail operators.
The move to the ‘Oui’ name matches SNCF’s other brands, including OuiGo discount trains, OuiCar for rentals, and OuiBus for, yes, buses. There will be a visual change as well; the trains will now be white, grey and red instead of the traditional blue. Still, many doubt the wisdom of giving up such a well-known name.
Starting in 2021, other rail operators will be able to operate trains on the French rail system, paying for the rights, as SNCF does now to the separate entity that is responsible for stations and tracks. SNCF says it wants to attract 15 million more riders ahead of that change.
The newest trains, coming into service now, are all double-deckers; SNCF hopes to run fewer trains but carry more passengers, a move that will reduce it cost for access to the network. The new cars will have more charging plugs, free wifi and cleaning service will move through the trains while in service instead of leaving clean-up for the end. Existing trains will be rebranded and upgraded.
