“There’s a craze at TER”: attendance on regional trains is growing

TEP is on the right track. In 2023, the Regional Express Transport (TER) network, with its 680 lines and 20,000 km of rail, will serve 1.3 million passengers daily, or 200,000 more daily trips than pre-Covid (+21%). “There is a desire for trains and an enthusiasm for TER,” says Jean-Aimé Mougeno, TER Director at SNCF Voyageurs. We owe this success to the regions, the organizing authorities, who introduced investments and a particularly attractive pricing policy. »

But who are these users who use TEP daily or occasionally? This is the question the Observatory of Regioscopy is trying to answer, which surveyed more than 41,000 travelers on board about 1,100 trains.

TEP cars have an overrepresentation of youth, as today more than 60% of users are under 35 years of age. Even 18-26 year olds make every third trip. The result was achieved thanks to multiple discounts provided by the regions to these audiences. This trend is set to further accelerate with the introduction of the Rail Pass, which will allow young people under 27 to travel without restrictions on all TER and Intercity trains in France for €49 per month, but not on the island of France.

Make room for bikes and scooters

The explosive growth in TER traffic is also benefiting CSP+. Even if their travel habits have changed due to changes in work practices post-Covid-19 (remote working, four-day weeks, etc.), there have never been so many of them and today they make up 41% of trips (up from 35 % in 2019). .

“Users want flexibility when traveling,” says Eric Steil, TER Marketing Director at SNCF Voyageurs. Real work has been done on the proposal, especially on the Orléans-Paris or Caen-Paris routes, with a move to high-end, updated trains that are attractive to customers who no longer live in Paris and work from home. » The need for flexibility and consistency of supply throughout the day, which the capital’s RERs must satisfy.

But why are users so supportive of TER when many lines are isolated due to incidents and repeated delays? “It’s a rational and social choice,” explains Jean-Aimé Mougeno. Users tell us it’s fast, practical and economical. Plus, it’s good for the planet. “And when they make a choice other than TEP, in two thirds of cases it’s due to the lack of trains…

Moreover, 9% of them now travel by bicycle and scooter, which they use to get to the station and complete the trip. Hence the need to initiate reflection on the development of future TERs.