Rail timetables change as new HS services begin

Thousands of train timetables across France changed overnight to fit new new high-speed services.

Rail operator SNCF has rescheduled thousands of local services to integrate them with new Paris-Rennes and Paris-Bordeaux highspeed trains across the northwest and southwest.

In total, 40% of SNCF's schedules have changed, involving an estimated 100,000 timetable alterations.

Company president Guillaume Pepy called for 'benevolence' and 'understanding' from commuters during what he has described in an interview with broadcaster RTL this week as 'a period of running in' for the new schedules.

He added that annual fare increases were a thing of the past, and said that SNCF was working to reduce costs, which it would pass on to customers.

In March, SNCF announced a ticket price rises on the two new lines - with ticket prices for the new highspeed services an average of between €6 and €10 than previously.