Overview
- SNCF’s new Optimum/Optimum Plus carriage restricts access to passengers aged 12 and over on weekdays, with the website now stating “accessible from twelve years” instead of “children are not allowed.”
- The premium section currently operates on the Paris–Lyon corridor and replaces the previous Business‑Première offer aimed at business travelers.
- The company says the restricted seats account for roughly eight percent of capacity on weekdays, while the same carriages are open to all ages on weekends.
- Government child protection commissioner Sarah El Haïry and Les Républicains leader Bruno Retailleau condemned the policy, echoing widespread criticism on social media.
- Commentary noted pets are permitted for a fee in the premium area, a detail that intensified complaints, as SNCF argued earlier business-class products also did not sell child tickets.