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

 

213,455 thoughts on “Railway Industry in France

  1. Awesome blog. I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work! jobbyyou

  2. “Sometimes I feel like if you just watch things, just sit still and let the world exist in front of you – sometimes I swear that just for a second time freezes and the world pauses in its tilt. Just for a second. And if you somehow found a way to live in that second, then you would live forever.” 中文補習

  3. Wow! Thank you! I always wanted to write on my site something like that. Can I include a portion of your post to my website? KERASSENTIALS

  4. I might want to thank you for the endeavors you have made recorded as a hard copy this article. I am trusting a similar best work from you later on also. Truth be told your exploratory writing capacities has motivated me to begin my very own BlogEngine blog now. Extremely the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your review is a fine case of it. 英文補習

  5. I admit, I have not been on this web page in a long time… however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues 英文補習社

  6. Simply wanna input on few general things, The website layout is perfect, the articles is really good : D. CORTEXI REVIEWS

  7. You there, this is really good post here. Thanks for taking the time to post such valuable information. Quality content is what always gets the visitors coming. uniswap

  8. This is my first time I visit here. I found such a considerable number of intriguing stuff with regards to your blog particularly its assessment. Extremely its incomprehensible article. Keep it up. 補習社 

  9. The work that you create clearly demonstrates the passion that you have for what you do. The world has high expectations for more ardent authors like you who won’t be scared to voice what they feel regardless of the consequences. Always prioritize what your heart wants. Dark web Link

  10. Hello, I have browsed most of your posts. This post is probably where I got the most useful information for my research. Thanks for posting, maybe we can see more on this. Are you aware of any other websites on this subject fotografia

  11. You there, this is really good post here. Thanks for taking the time to post such valuable information. Quality content is what always gets the visitors coming. uniswap

  12. I am impressed. I don’t think Ive met anyone who knows as much about this subject as you do. You are truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. Really, great blog you have got here. 토토

  13. This was a genuinely amazing test and in a perfect world I can go to the accompanying one. It was alot of fun and I genuinely painted the town.. 補習社 

  14. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. uniswap

  15. Bulk patches are a cost-effective way to customize clothing, bags, or other accessories. Whether you’re looking to create a unique look for a sports team, club, or organization, or just want to add some personality to your personal style, bulk patches offer a wide range of options for customization. When it comes to ordering bulk patches, there are a few key factors to consider. First, consider the type of patch you want to order. There are many different types of patches available, including embroidered patches, woven patches, PVC patches, and more. Each type of patch offers different benefits and customization options, so it’s important to choose the right type for your needs. Once you’ve chosen the type of patch you want to order, it’s important to consider the design and size of the patch. The design should be eye-catching and easy to recognize, while the size should be appropriate for the item you’re attaching the patch to. For example, a large patch may work well on a jacket or backpack, but may be too large for a t-shirt or hat. Bulk patches for hats

  16. Are you looking for a way to save time and money when it comes to buying steel shots? Look no further! By buying steel shots in bulk, you can enjoy the benefits of lower prices and more efficient ordering. Enjoy quick and easy ordering in bulk and save time and money when you buy steel shots in bulk. steel shots

  17. I haven’t any word to appreciate this post…..Really i am impressed from this post….the person who create this post it was a great human..thanks for shared this with us. uniswap

  18. Star English Lessons is an interactive online ESL kids curriculum. It is a subscription based website. Teacher’s pay a monthly fee to have access to the English lessons to use in their private and public classrooms

    Online ESL Kids Curriculum

  19. This is my first time visit to your blog and I am very interested in the articles that you serve. Provide enough knowledge for me. Thank you for sharing useful and don’t forget, keep sharing useful info: uniswap

  20. There are a number of plays of food show. This show is the greater podcast that can be watched at YouTube also. You would also like to listen about the Company where I do job which provides best creative writer India which can make your show more popular. 脫髮問題

  21. I’m going to read this. I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing. and also This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very nice one and gives indepth information. thanks for this nice article… uniswap

  22. Thanks for sharing this interesting blog with us.My pleasure to being here on your blog..I wanna come beck here for new post from your site. 脫髮

  23. Can I say what relief to find someone who really knows what theyre discussing on the net. You definitely have learned to bring a difficulty to light making it important. The diet should look at this and understand why side on the story. I cant believe youre less common simply because you definitely possess the gift. cow crocs

  24. Yes, I was totally in tune with that. So was my Dad. He said he definitely intends to check it out soon. We will return before you can say anything. cow crocs

  25. My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks! cow crocs

  26. This particular is usually apparently essential and moreover outstanding truth along with for sure fair-minded and moreover admittedly useful My business is looking to find in advance designed for this specific useful stuffs… uniswap

  27. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me. blog ucdm

  28. Really I enjoy your site with effective and useful information. It is included very nice post with a lot of our resources.thanks for share. i enjoy this post. uniswap

Leave a Reply

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