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

 

220,607 thoughts on “Railway Industry in France

  1. I am extremely delighted in for this web journal. Its a useful subject. It help me all that much to take care of a few issues. Its chance are so awesome and working style so rapid. 籠車

  2. I just couldn’t leave your website before telling you that I truly enjoyed the top quality info you present to your visitors? Will be back again frequently to check up on new posts. Dabwoods Carts

  3. I recently discovered what I consider the best transcription software, highlighted in this insightful reddit post. CLICK HERE best transcription software
    It’s not just the best transcription app I’ve come across, but also an exceptional example of both audio-to-text and video-to-text software. Its capability to accurately convert podcasts to text is especially noteworthy. Whether you need to transcribe audio for professional transcripts or transcribe video for accessible content, this software excels in all aspects. For anyone in search of a reliable and efficient solution to transcription needs, this software is a game-changer.

  4. There are a lot of blogs and articles out there on this topic, but you have acquired another side of the subject. This is reliable content thank you for sharing it. 籠車

  5. I love significantly your own post! I look at all post is great. I discovered your personal content using bing search. Discover my webpage is a great one as you.I work to create several content this post. Once more you can thank you and keep it create! Enjoy! 私樓裝修

  6. Such a strikingly essential article.I fundamentally wish to offer an animal continue for the standard information you have impeccable here on this post. 籠車

  7. You finished certain dependable focuses there. I did an inquiry regarding the matter and found about all people will concur with your blog. 籠車

  8. However, the emergence of “Adblue delete near me” services has sparked debates regarding the ethical and legal implications of tampering with emission control systems. While some argue that these services provide a solution for vehicle owners facing issues related to Adblue, others express worry about the potential consequences on air quality and the overall environmental health.

  9. That gives off an impression of being fabulous anyway i am still not very beyond any doubt that I like it. At any rate will look much more into it and choose by and by!  別墅裝修

  10. I need to to thank you for ones time for this particularly fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every part of it and i also have you saved to fav to look at new information in your site. 室內設計

  11. Y2K Fonts: Typography’s Throwback Thursday! 📟 Nostalgia is in the air with Y2K Fonts making a stylish comeback. I’d love to hear more about your favorite Y2K font discoveries. Are there any hidden gems that deserve more attention in the design community?

  12. In the fast-paced world of technology, staying connected is more crucial than ever. Whether for work, entertainment, or communication, a reliable and robust WiFi connection is indispensable. long range wifi router Enter the long-range WiFi router, a technological marvel designed to extend the reach of your wireless network and ensure a seamless connection experience across vast spaces. In this article, we’ll explore the features, benefits, and considerations associated with long-range WiFi routers.

  13. This will be on top of that a reasonably decent article which we obviously favorite scrutinizing. Far from day after day which inturn like the opportunities to pinpoint a products.
    menu with prices

  14. live score

    Kami menyediakan Info berita bola terkini yang kredibel, menciptakan komunitas yang suportif, dan memberikan pengetahuan Info berita bola terkini yang mendalam untuk Anda. Kami adalah sumber Info berita bola terkini Info berita bola terkini yang original dan paling up to date di 2023.

  15. Discover Daewoo Power Products’ diverse air compressor range, offering reliable solutions for various applications, ensuring efficiency, power, and dependable performance in every use case. Compressed air

  16. slot okeplay777 adalah Agen situs judi online slot asia yang Gacor, Aman, dan Terpercaya.slot asia Banyak pilihan game yang menarik dan bagus untuk kalian mainkan, banyak juga bonus dan hadiah yang bisa kalian dapatkan. Jadi tunggu apa lagi buruan gabung dengan slot okeplay777 raih segera bonus dan keuntungan yang berlimpah.

  17. I prefer the countless blogposts, My partner and i significantly enjoyed, I would like information regarding that, given that it is extremely great., Many thanks related to articulating.
    click here

  18. Thank you so much for the post you do. I like your post and all you share with us is up to date and quite informative, i would like to bookmark the page so i can come here again to read you, as you have done a wonderful job Blooket Hacks

  19. At Grand Bazaar Istanbul, we are dedicated to curating the finest and most flavorsome products for your enjoyment. Our team of culinary experts takes great care in preparing these traditional Turkish sweets, ensuring an unparalleled gastronomic experience. Delight in the richness of our luscious baklavas, velvety Turkish delights, and heavenly floss halvas, turkish coffees as we bring you the true essence of Turkish cuisine.

Leave a Reply

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