Last January, during an exceptional press conference, the company Trenitalia – which has been making its mark in the French rail landscape for a few years now – rolled out numerous big announcements. After declaring the official reopening of the Paris-Milan connection, closed for 19 months due to a landslide, in March – just a few days away – the company shared another fantastic piece of news. Starting in June, it will offer passengers looking to travel to Marseille an alternative to the Ouigo and TGV from SNCF. And the good news is that tickets are already on sale!
A new classic
From June 15 (and trust us, that’s coming up quickly), Trenitalia is rolling into the Phocaean city. After making a name for itself on the Paris-Lyon, the made in Italy company is excited to expand a little more in France by offering routes on the TGV most used line in France. Every day, it will provide 4 round trips operated by the Frecciarossa, the “Red Arrows,” in addition to the routes already covered by SNCF.
🚄 Trenitalia annonce la mise en vente aujourd'hui des billets de sa nouvelle ligne Paris-Marseille, lancée le 15 juin. 4 allers-retours par jour. Prix d'appel : 27 €. pic.twitter.com/g9KuemxzSq
— Jean-Marc De Jaeger (@JeanMarc_DJ) March 11, 2025
Despite its name suggesting unparalleled speed, this new Paris-Marseille route will last 3h20, which is the same duration as on our trusty old SNCF TGVs. From Lyon station, they will serve the stations of Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Avignon TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV, and finally Marseille Saint-Charles, which is undoubtedly one of the places with the most Parisians in France. And to rival Thierry Marx, who oversees the onboard dining for SNCF trains, the meals with Italian flavors will be crafted by star chef Carlo Cracco.
Marseille sounds great, but at what price ?
Since the announcement two months ago, a big question has remained : what would the prices of these new tickets be ? There were many speculations running wild (pun intended) about a
Trenitalia annonce l’ouverture des ventes pour la saison estivale. Plus de trains, plus de destinations ! https://t.co/gWyvaKifcF pic.twitter.com/3soBsouisG
— Trenitalia France - Presse & Carrières (@trenitalia_fr) March 11, 2025
Trenitalia is making a splash with tickets starting at 27€ for a one-way trip, well below the TGV Inoui rates. For example, next July, you can travel for 27€ in standard class, 37€ in business, and 180€ in executive. Just to compare, Ouigo has prices starting at 29€, and the TGV starts at 55€. Now, all we can hope for is that this fierce competition will force SNCF to rethink its prices too!
