New challenger on the French rail tracks

 

SNCF, for decades the leading railway provider in France, is about to get some serious competition. 

Velvet, a start-up that aims to challenge SNCF on high-speed routes, has secured its operating license, bringing it a step closer to launching four western France services in 2028.

The company plans to launch four non-stop routes from Paris in 2028: Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Nantes, Paris-Angers and Paris-Rennes.

The license, issued by France’s Transport Ministry, is one of two key authorisations required before a rail operator can commercially carry passengers, news hub Travel Mole reports.

Velvet still needs to obtain a Single Safety Certificate, demonstrating that it has adequate safety-management systems and can effectively control operational risks before its trains can enter service.

The newly granted license nevertheless allows the company to move into a more advanced stage of preparations, including requesting specific train paths from SNCF Réseau, France’s rail infrastructure manager.

“It’s an important step that allows us to go further in preparing our trains, teams and procedures,” said Velvet Ppesident Rachel Picard.

Picard, a former senior SNCF executive, founded Velvet with a business partner and has raised €1 billion ($1.17 billion) from French infrastructure investor Antin Infrastructure Partners.

Part of that funding has been allocated to purchase 12 next-generation Alstom Avelia Horizon trains. The same train is being introduced by SNCF for its own high-speed operations.

Velvet’s arrival is being welcomed by passenger advocates, who say additional operators could help address capacity shortages on some of France’s busiest routes. They point to heavily booked routes such as Paris-Bordeaux and Paris-Lyon, where trains can sell out for extended periods.

France’s high-speed rail market remains overwhelmingly dominated by SNCF despite the formal opening of European rail markets to competition.

Italian operator Trenitalia entered the French market in late 2021 and now operates services linking Paris with Lyon, Marseille and Milan. It is also targeting the Paris-London market, with cross-Channel services planned by 2030.

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.