Cheap TGV travel for 1 January
New Year's Day promo marks start of a month of budget ticket offers - and refunds if you have paid more
TRAVELLERS planning a train journey on New Year's Day will benefit from the lowest possible tariff - and will be refunded the difference if they have already paid a higher price for their ticket.
From tomorrow, the SNCF will sell all remaining seats on its January 1 high-speed services at the "Prem's" rate, which is usually reserved to the first quarter of tickets sold in advance.
It is part of a wider promise by the rail operator to overhaul its fare structure in 2014 and make more seats available at a low price.
To help boost passenger numbers in January - typically a quiet month for rail travel - the SNCF will make half a million tickets available at €29 one way.
SNCF chief executive Guillaume Pépy told Europe 1: "Our policy is to make more low-cost tickets available. Today about 15% of tickets sold are less than €30. We will double that to 30% (in five years)."
However, regular travellers will generally notice a slight increase in fares from January 1, as VAT on train tickets is passing from 7% to 10%.
Passengers who have already bought a ticket for January 1 and find the promotional price is lower will be able to apply for a refund of the difference at the place they bought the ticket.
