Railway Industry in France

TGV 1

1. Industry Overview:

In France, one of the most popular transport modes is train.  SNCF is France’s national railway, providing high speed, overnight and local services in France and beyond into Spain, Switzerland and Italy.

>> http://www.tgv-europe.com/en

Types of Train in France:

01-TGV

02-Lunea

03-Teoz

04-TER

06-Intercites

Railway industry is quite similar to airline industry, as it sells seats for a transport from an origin to a destination. The price depends on journey, class, and date of booking. Thus, railway industry can be placed in Quadrant 2, where its service has variable prices for a predictable duration. This industry also has the appropriate characteristics to apply revenue management strategies. Those characteristics are:

– Inflexible capacity: the number of seats on a train is fixed

– Variable and uncertain demand: the demand is different depending on the time of day, day of week, origin-destination pairs, and purpose of travel

– Perishable inventory: the unoccupied seat cannot be inventoried, and the revenue of that seat is missed

– Low marginal cost and high production cost

– Product can be sold in advance

– Heterogeneous customers with different segments, varying by age, purpose of travel, independent or group, etc.

However, there are some differences that make the revenue management of railway industry is little bit different than that of airline industry.

More difficult to forecast demand and to have the accurate number of travelers on a service: no check-in procedure, open tickets (rail pass) generally allow passengers to travel on any rail service, walk up tickets are very common (a large number of passengers purchase their tickets on the day from the station)

Less difficult to deal with overbooking: passengers are often allowed to stand during train journeys hence increasing capacity beyond the number of seats

———

 2. Space

Railway industry defines space implicitly.

Normally, a train has two classes: Economy (2nd Class) and Comfort (1st Class). The seating options and services are different for each class. The price is same for different seating options in a class.

 Economy Class:
01-Class2
 Comfort Class:

01-Class 1

Trains, especially TGV has “TGV bar”, which provides a wide selection of meals and sweet snacks available for purchase. Additionally, the TGV bar offers films on DVD, magazines, games for children, Paris Metro tickets, even USB sticks for purchase. There is also a rolling snack cart that comes to the customers’ seats.

01-TGV Bar

For additional revenue, TGV offers Premium service includes 1st Class seat, meal service, and access to the TGV lounge at the train stations.

Personally, I would charge difference fares for different seating options in each class. A group will want to pay more to have a Club 4 seat. A couple will want the Duo seat or Club 2 seat. And an individual traveler will want a solo seat. As the number of seat are fixed, we can charge for each option, rather than a “first comes first served” policy.

I’m also thinking about a mini-cinema on train, especially overnight train. Normally, the overnight train have load factor less than 80%, so the train can use one car to transform into a mini-cinema with a projector and a screen. When the train is busy, the car will be transformed in normal guest car again.

——

3. Time

Railway industry defines time implicitly.

Although the duration of a journey is determined, the railway industry sells a journey rather than specifically selling time. In addition, there may be issues that cause the increase/decrease in duration of the journey.

However, the railway industry also tries to sell time explicitly with the Rail pass. With Rail pass, customers can have unlimited travel on the national rail network of France for a fixed number of days. The choices are 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9-day pass within a one-month period. Travel days may be used consecutively or non-consecutively.  Thus, the fare becomes rate-per-day, not anymore rate-per-trip.

>> http://www.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/france-pass/index.html

The industry can sell time explicitly by providing Rail pass with weekly or monthly unit. However, I think it will not be effective as it makes the demand forecasting much more complicated.  Half-day unit won’t make sense as a trip is normally more than 3 hours.

——–

4. Price

Tickets can be purchased 60 to 120 days in advance depending on the route.

Ticket discounts are based on advance purchase, availability, and certain restrictions. Everyone is eligible to receive discounted fares by purchasing an Economy or Comfort class ticket in advance. Youth and seniors can enjoy specific discounts as well. Discounted tickets are available for youth (under 26 of age), seniors (age 60 and over) and children (generally ages 4-11) but should be verified with each product.

Price at 1 week before departure
01-Price-1st class-10AM-1wk

Price at 2 weeks before departure

01-Price-1st class-10AM-2wk

Price at 3 weeks before departure

01-Price-1st class-10AM-3wk

Price at 4 weeks before departure

01-Price-1st class-10AM-4wk

Normally, prices are reduced for 1or 2 week-advanced purchase, slightly reduced for 3-week-advanced purchased, and stay same for more-than-4-week-advanced purchase.

The physical rate fences are the classes:
01-Booking-Class

 

The non-physical rate fences are age, season ticket, and loyalty

01-Booking-Rate Fences-1

01-Booking-Rate Fences-2

01-Booking-Rate Fences-3

01-Booking-Rate Fences-4

As the rate fences are now already too sophisticated, I would rather consolidate these fences than create new fences to confuse customers.

 

(-Thao Ly)

——–

References:

http://www.raileurope.com

http://www.tgv-europe.com

http://www.sncf.co.uk/

Amstrong and Messneir, 2010. Railway revenue management: Overview and Methods

Schroeder, Braun, and Schnieder. Revenue management in the railway industry

 

164,812 thoughts on “Railway Industry in France

  1. Dış Cephe Temizliği ve Cam Temizliği konusunda uzmanlaştığımız iki hizmettir. Gelişmiş teknikler ve ekipmanlar kullanarak evler ve işyerleri için en kaliteli hizmeti vermeye çalışıyoruz.

    dış cephe temizliği

  2. ฝากขั้นต่ํา 1 บาท ก็ถอนได้ SLOT68 ONLINE เล่นผ่านเว็บ และมือถือได้ ไม่ต้องดาวน์โหลดแอพสล็อต68 เล่นได้ตลอด24ชั่วโมง ไม่ต้องลุ้นเหมือน Forex-3D หรือ มาเก๊า888 (Macao888)เบทฟิก24

  3. A to a great degree brilliant blog passage. We are really grateful for your blog passage. fight, law usage You will find an extensive measure of techniques in the wake of heading off to your post. I was absolutely examining for. An obligation of appreciation is all together for such post and please keep it up. Mind blowing work. Tea Burn

  4. BETFLIX789 หรือ เบทฟิก789 เว็บรวมสล็อตออนไลน์ เล่นง่ายผ่านมือถือ ทุกระบบ 24 ชั่วโมง เป็นเว็บสล็อตออนไลน์ ที่เล่นคาสิโนออนไลน์ BETFLIK789 ม่วง คือผู้ให้บริการเว็บหลักสล็อตออนไลน์ชั้นนำ ระดับประเทศ ที่รวมเว็บสล็อตทั้งไทยและต่างประเทศรวมไว้ที่เดียวกัน

  5. Hasta yatağı modellerimiz rahatlık ve maliyet göz önünde bulundurularak tasarlanmıştır. İster yeni ister ikinci el hasta yatağı arıyor olun, bir dizi kaliteli, bütçeye uygun seçeneğimiz var.

    hasta yatağı

  6. I am overpowered by your post with such a decent theme. Typically I visit your web journals and get refreshed through the data you incorporate yet the present blog would be the most obvious. Well done! Tea Burn

  7. Viagra is a drug from Pfizer that helps in the treatment of erectile dysfunction within 30 minutes. This medication is for males only who are 18 and older; it does not have any side effects or composition. It enhances performance viagra tablets in lahore by improving hardness and length during sexual intercourse, so you can give your partner the real thing every night (no chapatis).

  8. I am a good-looking, a fairy, little Lucknow call girls who is fully aware of people’s moods and knows my way around a man. I consider myself a long-life student of the physical arts. I have an amazing personality and love to build relationships with my special clients and they love to enjoy lucknow escort for the last three years. My experience will often be participatory unions, not mechanical deals, so if you are looking for cheap escort service lucknow at very low rates then I am the perfect one for you to enjoy your sex life with me.

  9. Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting? I’m pleased I discovered it though, ill be checking back soon to find out what additional posts you include. buy dmt in USA

  10. Being a housewife I wasn’t completely able solve my problem on my own due to some family reasons but when I saw them site on the internet it became a relief for me now I can relax at my home at anytime!! 에볼루션카지노

  11. Link Daftar Situs Game Casino Online Saat Ini Ini adalah Daftar Situs Game Slot Online Maxwin Mudah Terbaik dan Situs Slot Online Terbaik di Indonesia. janji hoki menjadi agen situs khusus game Casino Online se Asia dengan permainan terlengkap serta dengan transaksi yang sangat lengkap juga. Sebagai situs casino online terbaik di asia. Kami menyediakan layanan customer care 24 jam. yang siap membantu anda. Jika kesulitan melakukan transaksi. Demi memudahkan proses transaksi. Janji hoki selaku situs live casino resmi dan berlisensi bekerja sama dengan bank lokal. sehingga anda bisa melakukan deposit via bank transfer. Tidak hanya itu saja janji hoki juga melakukan kerjasama dengan berbagai macam e-wallet. Seperti ovo, dana, linkaja, gopay dan masih banyak lagi. kami juga menyediakan live casino deposit pulsa. sehingga anda tidak perlu khawatir dan kesulitan lagi ketika ingin bermain live casino online di Janji hoki

  12. Selain semua permainan live casino online yang ada di janjihoki yang bisa anda mainkan, janjihoki salah satu situs judi online terbaik menawarkan berbagai jenis permainan lainnya seperti Taruhan Bola Sbobet, Slot online, Poker, Tembak Ikan, DominoQQ dan masih banyak lagi permainan yang bisa anda nikmati pada situs kami. Janjihoki

  13. Hyderabad Escorts 24/7 by NatashaRoy.in. Here you get full sanctification Sex when you hire our Top beautiful Hyderabad call Girls, our escort Girls educated and so professional .

  14. Thank you so much for sharing this great blog. How important is engaging with followers after the stream to retain them and gain more followers? Then, Engaging with followers after the stream is important for retaining them and gaining more followers. For complete details about this, you can read one blog about the way to get followers on twitch. go and check.

  15. Here is very much want the most impressive sparkle terrific. Each one of these moderate areas are meant by means of selection of makeup foundation curiosity. I love individuals much.
    Online serije

  16. I wanted to visit and allow you to know how great I liked discovering your web blog today. I’d consider it the honor to operate at my place of work and be able to operate on the tips discussed on your website and also be involved in visitors’ responses like this. Should a position connected with guest article author become on offer at your end, make sure you let me know. 먹튀검정사이트

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *