The French public transport operator TGV Lyria has announced that it will be running cheaper, more regular services between cities in Switzerland and Paris. The number of trains will eclipse pre-pandemic levels, in an attempt to stimulate demand.
On March 28, TGV Lyria increased the number of services from Switzerland to the French capital by 30 percent, with 4.500 additional seats available per day. On the route from Paris to Geneva, TGV will run eight trains every day, meaning a rail service every two hours between 6am and 8pm.
It is hoped that a more regular rail connection will start to compete with airline services between Paris Orly and Geneva Airport. Director of TGV Lyria, Fabian Soulet, said the announcement added the passenger equivalent of 25 to 30 Airbus A320s to the route, at a much better environmental cost than flying.
The Lausanne to Paris and Zurich to Paris routes will also receive an extra train per day. Soulet said the company wanted to produce a “supply shock” - accelerating demand by oversupplying the market. 18.000 seats will now be available on services between Swiss cities and the French capital every day.
According to Soulet, the increased number of trains will also mean prices “will drop, on average.” From April 1, he expects the cheapest one-way fares to be priced at around 31 to 52 Swiss francs.