Ouigo Classic Paris Nord - Brussels Midi

[DBTrainUser]

Looking at the Ouigo Classic train from Paris Nord to Brussels Midi, I can see it for sale on SNCF Connect, Trainline and on SNCB International. It's only selling as second class for now and I gather that first class won't be on offer yet, might be added as Ouigo XL in the future. (Possibly pending a re-brand of that train from SNCB to Ouigo?)
As the train has a first class carriage on the rake currently, what is the deal with that? Is it declassified? Locked out of service? Or is it bookable as first class via another sales channel I didn't find?

Thanks.

 

[rvdborgt]

Looking at the Ouigo Classic train from Paris Nord to Brussels Midi, I can see it for sale on SNCF Connect, Trainline and on SNCB International. It's only selling as second class for now and I gather that first class won't be on offer yet, might be added as Ouigo XL in the future. (Possibly pending a re-brand of that train from SNCB to Ouigo?)
As the train has a first class carriage on the rake currently, what is the deal with that? Is it declassified? Locked out of service? Or is it bookable as first class via another sales channel I didn't find?

Someone I know is on his way now to Brussels and reported it is open and completely empty.

 

[MarcVD]

Someone I know is on his way now to Brussels and reported it is open and completely empty.

I have seen at least two vidéos of that train on Facebook today with people in the first class carriage.

 

[rvdborgt]

I have seen at least two vidéos of that train on Facebook today with people in the first class carriage.

The person I messaged with went to sit in the 1st class carriage. It's quite possible some other people also had this idea...

 

[Beebman]

The excellent Simply Railway YouTube channel has just posted a video review of the new service:

After a quiet launch over the summer for the Olympic Games, SNCF and SNCB have finally introduced their new service between Paris and Brussels via the classic line under the Ouigo branding, offering journeys for €10 in just 3 hours... let's see if it's worth it!

 

[DovaModaal]

It's only selling as second class for now and I gather that first class won't be on offer yet, might be added as Ouigo XL in the future. (Possibly pending a re-brand of that train from SNCB to Ouigo?)

There is no re-brand pending. This train (co-operation between NMBS/SNCB and SNCF) is already branded as Ouigo.

The other changes announced for the future are:

• addition of the option for bicycle transport (4 places?), announced for 2025
• addition of a stop in Saint-Quentin, the largest city the train passes through in the north of France. Only for 1 train a day (as a test, from April until December 2025)

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Jon Worth (whose voice can be heard in the video) has written about the service.

In this peculiar world of cross border railways, the new slow Bruxelles-Paris OUIGO train makes sense – Jon Worth

I’d have of course preferred a train without compulsory reservation, one where – even if you had to stand – would always get you there. How trains ought to work. But trains in France do not work like that, and so as to make sure this one has a chance of being a commercial success SNCB has had to swallow the whole OUIGO concept in return for SNCF selling tickets on this service. It was this or nothing, and as I see it, better this than nothing, and SNCB deserves a lot of credit for even managed to have dared to do this.

 

[tasky]

I'm really glad this service exists and I'll probably make use of it myself, but the branding is a bit bonkers (as is the whole SNCF branding structure). It's surely just a EuroCity. OuiGo Classic?

 

[TFN]

I found myself at Brussels Midi on Monday evening and saw it on the departure screen. I couldn’t help but go and have a little look.

It was busier than I expected.

 

[signed]

It's surely just a EuroCity

EuroCity hasn't been a brand for decades in France

Every classic train that isn't funded by the government will be OUIGO Train Classique as they slowly ramp back up. All the intercités services are funded and controlled by the government or regions

 

[tasky]

EuroCity hasn't been a brand for decades in France

Every classic train that isn't funded by the government will be OUIGO Train Classique as they slowly ramp back up. All the intercités services are funded and controlled by the government or regions

The service was branded EuroCity during the 2024 Paris Olympics

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

SNCF didn't sell tickets for the Olympic service, according to Jon Worth.

Then along comes Belgian state railway SNCB with an idea: why not run supplementary trains to Paris during the Olympic Games, but as there are no high speed ones spare, instead deploy older InterCity trains on the old slow line instead. 160km/h maximum speed, trip time 3 hours.

By all accounts the Olympic trains were not a great success, not least because there was no marketing to inform people the trains even existed. And, importantly, the trains were not for sale on French sales channels, only from the Belgians.

In this peculiar world of cross border railways, the new slow Bruxelles-Paris OUIGO train makes sense – Jon Worth

 

[tasky]

It's a small thing and I'm very glad it's happening, anyway. Worth remembering the context is that Thalys previously ran the "Izy" service for similar prices which used TGV (and sometimes ex Eurostar) rolling stock on the classic lines but recently cancelled it. That always felt like a competition spoiler to me and classic loco stock probably makes more sense considering the route.

 

[Austriantrain]

It's a small thing and I'm very glad it's happening, anyway. Worth remembering the context is that Thalys previously ran the "Izy" service for similar prices which used TGV (and sometimes ex Eurostar) rolling stock on the classic lines but recently cancelled it. That always felt like a competition spoiler to me and classic loco stock probably makes more sense considering the route.

It's still a competition spoiler though.