New rivals for dominant French railway company

Two new rail companies are set to offer some serious competition to dominant French national railway company SNCF.

Enter Le Train and Velvet.

SNCF already faces some domestic competition from Italian Trenitalia and Spanish Renfe, but both have faced difficulty making headway against the giant monolith

Le Train and Velvet are expected to launch in 2028.

Le Train aimed for its first journeys as early as 2026, but has been forced to push back, travel news hub Travel Mole reports.

Instead of competing on rail routes from and to Paris, Le Train wants to tackle high-speed connections in the west of France, from Brittany to the south-west, including Bordeaux.

The company has ordered 10 new-generation Talgo Avril trains, similar to those that the Spanish Renfe wants to deploy on a potential Paris-Lyon-Marseille route.

Le Train says has the ambition of offering up to 50 daily trains in western France from its first year, including from Arcachon, Bordeaux, Angoulême, Nantes, and Rennes.

It is touting a travel time of under three hours between Nantes and Bordeaux instead of almost five 

hours now, as passengers need to change in Paris.

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The future look of Le Train (Image: Le Train) 

Former TGV head Rachel Picard heads Velvet, which has signalled its aims to prioritise comfort and environmental commitment.

“We want to create an experience where passengers feel at ease, where every detail matters, while remaining committed to the environment,” Picard told French media earlier this month.

Velvet plans to launch its first high-speed trains by 2028, initially focusing on western routes out of Paris (Angers, Bordeaux, Nantes and Rennes). The company promises to provide 10 million annual seats.