SNCF intends to offer prices “Accessible” in his TGV to win back travelers lost during the coronavirus pandemic, indicates its CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou in an interview with “Figaro” published this Monday, November 16.
“When the crisis is over, everyone will have purchasing power problems. We want to find large numbers of travelers and we must offer them affordable prices ”, affirms Jean-Pierre Farandou, giving hope “More readable, simpler and more accessible pricing”. “I have had enough that we associate “Expensive TGV” at “SNCF”. It is not true but the image is there ”, he sighs.
“Lower our production costs”
“To have an accessible price policy, it is imperative that we lower our production costs”, he explains. “It is possible thanks, in particular, to predictive maintenance and industrial digitization, which will allow us to make better use of our trains. “Are the night trains promised by Macron really the future of SNCF?
“At the end of September the difference in turnover was 5 billion euros compared to the budget. Loss of operating margin [équivalent maison du résultat brut d’exploitation, NDLR] was 4 billion euros “, recalls Jean-Pierre Farandou, who has not yet made projections on the consequences of the re-containment.
“The year will obviously be very bad”, he sums up. He warned Monday in a message to railway workers that 2021 would also be ” very difficult “.
1.5 billion euros in savings
Overall, short-time working and budgetary restrictions have saved 1.5 billion euros, “But recruitments were continued with 4,000 people on permanent contracts in 2020. Last year, we recruited 5,000”, remarks the leader.
Should we come back to the all-TGV policy?
The state came to the rescue of the SNCF, he welcomes. A recapitalization “Is not, at this stage, on the agenda”, according to him. “The State will decide in 2021 whether it wants or can intervene in the capital of the company”, he said to “Figaro”.
Anyway, there is no question for him to sell 49% of the capital of the logistics subsidiary Geodis, as stated by Laurent Brun, secretary general of the CGT-Cheminots.
“Geodis is one of SNCF’s strategic assets, even in times of crisis. In addition, the role of Geodis in France and its value are growing. Selling this nugget as a short-term response to the crisis would therefore not make sense! “
