Train fares up 2.6% in January

THE COST of travelling France by train is set to rise by 2.6 per cent on New Year's Eve, the SNCF has announced.

The price increase applies to all types of ticket on TER and Intercité services - and the standard full-price "Loisirs" fare on TGVs, which are regulated.

Season tickets, discount cards, child fares, student rates and PREM'S advance fares will remain unchanged.

The French transport ministry said in August that it was against a price rise in 2015 - at a time when inflation is around 0.3 per cent.

Passengers' group Fnaut says the price rise would be acceptable if the service provided by the SNCF was improving - but TGVs are already too expensive and rural stations are becoming less frequently served, with fewer staff at stations.

The group said in a statement: "We've been promised an improved service for two years. We are still waiting for it."

Former transport minister Dominique Bussereau, a UMP member of parliament, said: "This will not be popular with some customers, but I can't see how the SNCF can avoid it."