France’s iDTGV Innovates the Train Travel Experience

The Age (Melbourne, Australia) covers the fascinating development of cutting-edge, passenger-friendly amenities being tested on SNCF‘s TGV high-speed trains in France:

Joined to a regular TGV train, this iDTGV, playing on the French word “idee” or “idea”, is operated privately, but owned by the national SNCF rail company and designed as a laboratory for future rail travel.

The iDTGV was launched in December 2004 and offers cheaper tickets, Internet reservations, and services aimed at pleasing passengers, including a soon-to-be launched party train, to help the SNCF better compete with low cost airlines.

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Downstairs is peaceful with no noisy chat or mobile phones. The top deck is designed for entertainment and interaction between passengers, including a service that helps them meet each other en route.

As the bar fills up, some passengers, many of them young professionals, browse a catalogue of DVDs and video games available for rental, while others peruse magazines.

Nearby, a couple of young workers from an AIDS charity set up a stall.

“What’s the difference between this bar and those on other trains?” says Patrice, one of the conductors. “Well, people are more open. We sometimes have concerts on board too.”

Since the start, iDTGVs, which now travel to around 20 French towns and cities, have hosted a string of events, from food and wine tastings to massages and cabarets.

A few months ago, Reuters reported on a dating service that Germany’s DB is offering on Munich-Nuremberg RegionalExpress trains:

While these amenities being tested in France and Germany could be dismissed as gimmicky, they might also go a long way to making train travel a way of life for a younger clientèle in America.  But Amtrak is starved for a healthy funding stream that would allow it to test relatively radical on-board services, while the rail networks in Europe have reached a point of maturity from which they arguably have the luxury of testing these products.  If Amtrak is unable to further innovate on-board services with the resources that it has, the private sector could play a role.  We’re already seeing this on a limited basis.  A game company used to sponsor the Kiddie Cars on the Coast Starlight, and redevelopment of these cars is supposedly in the works.  Free samples of food and toiletries are currently supplied by the manufacturers for Empire Builder sleeping car passengers.  Amtrak also granted a concession for T-Mobile HotSpot to offer paid wi-fi access in certain Northeast Corridor stations, with an on-board wi-fi program currently being studied.

Amtrak should continue to observe how operators abroad experiment with new products and technologies, and do the best that it can to deliver quality service on its constrained budget.  The possibilities for market segmentation go far beyond certain age groups or income levels.  Train travel is for everyone, and there are many ways to improve the experience.

—Matthew Melzer