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Snowtrain axed next winter
Thursday July 16, 2009 - Email this article to a friend
It has become uneconomical as less people go skiing, the exchange rate worsens and costs go up. It feels a bit like the end of an era.
It has been running for 20 years and has the capacity for 500 passengers, but it appears to have hit the buffers.
There is an anouncement about it on the company's web site which they say was taken after a lot of thought and research.
Tickets were due to go on sale this month so no-one has actually bought a ticket yet or is out of pocket. Regular travellers are being informed by mail.
The company says it will keep the situation under review so the train may be back at a future date.
"It is a great shame to lose it this year, particularly when train travel to ski resorts is increasing," says Daniel Elkan who is launching a new web site later this year this detailing how it is possible to catch the train to numerous ski resorts.
"What people don’t realise is how many other options there are, using regular day or overnight services to resorts all over the French Alps and Pyrenees. There won’t be the legendary Snowtrain party carriage, but with a good night’s sleep you can make up for it in resort and get more from the extra two days on the slopes.”
The journey has a bit of a legendary status and has had a few parties on board in the bar/disco carriage as Daniel Elkan mentions.
The journey involved taking the train to Paris on Friday night and then an overnight service down to the Alps which in theory allowed you an extra day on the slopes.
Unless of course you spent the journey in the disco carriage.
The Eurostar service that runs direct to Bourg St Maurice will continue and tickets go on sale next week.
There has been greater interest in train travel to the Alps in recent years but it appears the numbers simply don’t add up to make the specialist Snowtrain financially viable.
Here at PlanetSKI we contacted the operators, Rail Europe, who have very helpfully sent us back some detailed answers.
Why is the Snow Train not operating in 2010?
The current economic climate, coupled with unfavourable exchange rates and increases in operating costs has meant that the service cannot be operated on a financially viable basis without greatly increasing the cost to the customer. The level of price increase would make the service prohibitively expensive for our customers and as a result booking levels would suffer, leaving the service to operate at a loss.
Will passengers already booked on the Snow Train receive a full refund?
The 2010 season had not been put on sale so no passengers were booked and no deposits or payment had been made against travel on the service for the coming season.
Will you have to make any redundancies as the service is not operating?
All train operating staff are employed by SNCF from whom the rolling stock is chartered, they are not directly employed by Rail Europe. On board reps are employed by Rail Europe, but as they are seasonal staff they have not yet been recruited for the coming season. Within the call centre, agents who would normally deal with Snow Train bookings will be redeployed to another area of the Call Centre.
Does this mean that Rail Europe is in financial trouble? Absolutely not. The Snow Train is one of two products that Rail Europe operates itself. Rolling stock is chartered from SNCF and Rail Europe markets and sells the product. The other charter product – French Motorail – is operating over the summer and is currently enjoying good levels of sales.
All other products sold by Rail Europe are sold on a commission-earning basis with the core product being operated by the individual rail operating companies, for example SNCF in France or Deutsche Bahn in Germany.
The decision to pull the Snow Train service was made to ensure that the company did not find itself in a negative financial situation.
How are you informing customers?
Customers are being contacted by mail to explain the situation. There is also information on our website, giving travellers the alternative travel options.
How will regular Snow Train passengers get to the Alps if the Snow Train does not operate?
There are a number of different ways that passengers can still travel to the Alps by rail – on the Eurostar Direct Ski service, either during the day or overnight, or by Eurostar to Paris, then a scheduled high speed train (TGV) or an overnight service to the Alps. All of these options can be booked through Rail Europe, either online – www.raileurope.co.uk or through the call centre on 0844 848 4070.
Will the Snow Train run again in the future?
No decision has been made on the long-term future of the service. The situation will be reviewed and decisions made at a later date.
PlanetSKI reserves the right to edit any comments. In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
Took the Snow Train in Jan 2009. Was fun but wouldnt have done it again...
1/ Cheaper flying to Geneva from Manchester via a no frills airline.
2/ Length of journey time was far too long. The Snow train kept stopping enroute so as not to arrive too soon in Bourg S M .
3/ Carrying/storing luggage on Snow Train was a nightmare. At least when you fly you can check it in and forget about it until you arrive. With the Snow Train you have to check in twice, once in St Pancreas and then again in Paris gare Du Nord.
Karen , manchester
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