France’s High-Speed Rail Network Is Getting a New Challenger
The start-up plans to add 10 million seats and launch 12 Alstom trains in 2028, pending safety certification.
- French rail start-up Velvet obtained an initial license to operate high-speed trains on routes linking Paris with Bordeaux, Nantes, and Angers, challenging state-owned SNCF's market dominance.
- To support these plans, Velvet raised €1 billion to purchase 12 Avelia Horizons trains from Alstom, matching the next-generation equipment SNCF plans to roll out in coming months.
- Plans include adding 10 million seats along France's Atlantic coast, with direct journeys averaging around two hours before the planned 2028 launch.
- Velvet's President Rachel Picard called the license "an important step," though the company must still secure safety certification from France's rail regulator before launching operations.
- Other challengers, including Le Train, Spain's Renfe, and Italy's Trenitalia, are vying to enter France's rail market, which opened to competition in 2020 via EU liberalization.
19 Articles
19 Articles
France’s high-speed rail network is getting a new challenger
A new French rail company has secured the first approval needed to launch high-speed services from Paris to cities including Bordeaux, Nantes and Angers, potentially bringing more choice and competition to some of the country’s busiest routes.
Created by a former manager of the main French train line operator, the company has in particular obtained the right to pass trains at specific times. It has already ordered 12 latest generation vehicles from Alstom.
The private railway company has just obtained its licence to operate on the French network, issued by the Ministry of Transport. It intends to launch in 2028.
The private company Velvet was granted its licence to operate high-speed trains in France, a major step towards the commissioning of its trains. Co-founded by a former executive of SNCF, the railway company wants to transport passengers between Angers, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes and Paris. Twelve latest generation trains were ordered from Alstom for a launch in two years. - The company Velvet on good rails to drive its high-speed trains in the Wes…
The licence, issued by the Ministère des Transports, is one of the two key authorisations required to be able to carry on a rail transport activity in France.
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