Is France’s SNCF banning children from parts of its trains?

France’s state railway has launched a new first class section on selected trains offering “a quiet dedicated space” for business travellers.

SNCF introduced the new Optimum Plus class at the beginning of January, replacing the existing Business Première.

Like the now retired class, Optimum Plus is not accessible to children under 12 years old.

The news has sparked controversy, with podcast Les Adultes de demain (The Adults of Tomorrow) saying, “A red line has been crossed and nobody is talking about it”.

France’s new train class will not allow children

The new Optimum Plus carriages are currently only available on TGV trains between Paris and Lyon.

Trains with Optimum Plus will still have normal first class and standard class carriages.

SNCF says the new option is aimed at business customers and those who “want a special travel experience with personalised assistance and flexibility”.

As part of this, passengers must be over 12 years old. “To ensure maximum comfort, children are not permitted”, the ticket details state.

‘Gives the impression that adult comfort depends on the absence of children’

The introduction of the new class sparked controversy online and in French media.

Posting on Instagram, Les Adultes de demain wrote, “France’s leading public transport company is also giving in to the ‘no kids’ policy. Instead of creating carriages for children, the SNCF Group is excluding them.”

Some linked the move to France’s stagnating birth rate.

“[This is] proof that the declining birth rate is also cultural; it makes children scarce to the point of making us intolerant of their presence,” economist Maxime Sbaihi wrote on X.

Others pointed out that pets are, conversely, allowed for a fee of €10 per trip.

These criticisms were echoed by France’s children’s commissioner, Sarah El Haïry, in a TV interview.

“When you give the impression that adult comfort depends on the absence of children, it’s shocking,” she said. “We can’t say, ‘Look out, we’re having fewer children, we’ve got demographic problems’ and send out such blunt signals.”

‘Children are welcome on board our trains’

In response to the backlash, SNCF has underlined that the Optimum Plus option is available Monday to Friday only, with very limited seating (8 per cent of seats).

“This means that 92 per cent of seats during the week and 100 per cent at weekends are open to everyone,” a spokesperson tells Euronews Travel.

“The toddler package and child ticket are not available in this area, and this is nothing new: this was already the case for many years in our previous Business Première offer, without any negative feedback,” they add.

SNCF also says that they have never accepted the numerous requests from customers who have long been asking for entire carriages, such as first class, to be child-free on TGV INOUI trains.

“Children are welcome on board our trains. We offer very attractive family fares and family areas,” the spokesperson adds. “There are nursery areas on TGV trains and we welcome 300,000 children every year as part of the Junior & Compagnie program.”