France, pioneer of the high-speed TGVs, is testing whether some passengers would be willing to take a lot more time and a lot less amenities in return for a really cheap fare.
So far, the answer seems to be yes, with tens of thousands of tickets already sold for the two routes that started running Monday on a two-year trial basis. The service, labeled Ouigo Classique, sells tickets for Paris-Lyon and Paris-Nantes trains for €10 to €30, with kids riding for €5.
There are two daily round trips to Lyon, and three to Nantes. The Lyon trains are scheduled for 4 hours 45 and 5 hours 15, compared with two hours on TGV. The Nantes route ranges from 3 hours 30 to 4 hours 15 against 2:20 on TGV.
The trains are decidedly no-frills, using 1980s Corail cars that started as pre-TGV mainline cars and have operated in recent years on some regional services. They’ve been spruced up and given a coat of pink paint, but have not been modernized with outlets, WiFi or other modern amenities. The SNCF subsidiary running the routes says it will look at more renovation if the service is successful.
