Train passengers from Barcelona to France up 62% due to 2024 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games kicked off on Friday, and millions of people from all over the world have traveled or will travel to Paris to watch the biggest sporting event of the year.  

Due to its proximity to France, Barcelona has seen a large increase in train passengers traveling to France during the duration of the Games, from July 26 to August 11.   

According to the train app Trainline, the Barcelona-Lyon high-speed line, which is managed by the Spanish rail operator Renfe, has seen a 62% increase during these dates.   

The increase in passengers has made Barcelona one of the top four European cities for travelers taking the train to France.   

Renfe's Barcelona-Lyon line, inaugurated last summer, has stops in Marseille, Montpellier, Avignon, Béziers, Aix-en-Provence and Narbonne.  

In its first year of operation, 620,000 passengers used the line, with an average train occupancy rate of 82%.   

Barcelona-Paris line 

French rail operator SNCF is now the only company operating the Barcelona-Paris route with four daily trains.   

The route is served exclusively by TGV Inoui and connects the two capitals with stops in Girona, Figueres, Perpignan, Narbonne, Montpellier and Nîmes, among others.   

Passengers reach Paris Gare de Lyon from Barcelona in 6 hours and 45 minutes.  

Its Spanish counterpart, Renfe, is still waiting for the necessary permits to operate to Paris.   

The company was confident that it could launch the line before the Olympics, but the start could be delayed until the end of the year or even longer.