Overview
- France’s TGV network, facing the Friday, May 8 holiday rush, expects about 1.5 million riders with roughly one in five trains already full.
- Ticket purchases for that weekend are up about 15%, and SNCF says bookings in recent weeks rose 14% compared with last year.
- Rising petrol and jet fuel prices after the war in the Middle East have made driving and flying more expensive, pushing more travelers to choose trains.
- Peak routes show sharp spikes, with Trainline citing sales quadrupled to Aix-en-Provence and doubled to Marseille, and some tickets topping €200.
- Rail demand has grown since the pandemic, with SNCF reporting high‑speed ridership up about 18% since 2019, while retired TGVs and not‑yet‑deployed TGV M sets leave too few seats for spring peaks.