Building on the successful innovation of the launch of a “ski train” service, with the chartering of trains from London and Paris to the French Alps, Travelski – a subsidiary of Compagnie des Alpes – has launched a European request for bids to offer its customers a recurring low-carbon transport service by train from France, the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium (from Paris, London, Amsterdam and Brussels) to the French Alps over the three-year period from 2024 to 2027. Other routes from Spain are also envisaged.
The invitation to tender is open to all European rail operators able to provide trains, complete or otherwise, to carry passengers to Alpine resorts on one or two rotations per week between mid-December and mid-April.
Compagnie des Alpes will guarantee the operator a committed volume over the long term.
The request for bids is open to several types of rail transport (high-speed, intercity, night trains), depending on availability and proposals from operators.
This decision is based on two years’ experience with Travelski-express, as well as on a number of preliminary discussions with several rail service providers.
In addition, partnership discussions are underway with other tourism operators in the French Alps (beyond the areas in which CDA operates) wishing to develop low-carbon mobility offers.
The project aims to bring these new offers to market as early as the 2024-25 winter season, if the proposed solutions are swift and operationally realistic.
With this new step, Compagnie des Alpes is determined to take a pro-active position, both in its actions and in its search for new, concrete solutions to help decarbonise the transport options of holidaymakers in the mountains, and to contribute to changing their habits by enabling tens of thousands of customers to travel to the resorts by train every winter.