French High‑Speed Push
A new French operator called Le Train is launching high‑speed services linking Paris with Rennes and Bordeaux, announced as part of a push to boost tourism and regional connectivity. (travelandtourworld.com) The operator has signed agreements to run the Paris–Rennes–Bordeaux services, expanding options for western France travelers. (travelandtourworld.com)
Le Train, a private French rail operator founded in 2020, has signed track-access agreements to run high-speed services between Paris and both Rennes and Bordeaux. (letrainvoyage.fr) The agreements were signed with SNCF Réseau, the state infrastructure manager, and cover the Rennes–Paris and Bordeaux–Paris corridors. Le Train said the services would add train paths, seats and schedules on lines where it argues demand already exceeds supply. (letrainvoyage.fr) The company’s original plan was different. It was created to run direct high-speed trains between western regional cities such as Bordeaux, Nantes and Rennes without routing passengers through Paris. (letrainvoyage.fr) That shift puts Le Train into France’s open-access rail market, where operators can sell tickets on their own commercial risk instead of running services under a public contract. SNCF says that model now applies to high-speed and some long-distance routes as France opens more of its rail market to competition. (groupe-sncf.com) Le Train says only 13% of France’s population currently has access to high-speed rail, mostly on trips to or from Paris. Its pitch is that extra services on crowded Paris routes can fund a broader network linking major regional cities more directly. (letrainvoyage.fr) The company has also ordered 10 Avril high-speed trainsets from Spanish manufacturer Talgo under a contract announced in 2023. Trade publications and company material now point to a launch around 2028, later than earlier plans that had targeted 2027. (letrainvoyage.fr; en.wikipedia.org) The next hurdle is regulatory. Industry reports say France’s transport regulator, the Autorité de régulation des transports, must review the framework agreements to confirm they comply with non-discriminatory network-access rules. (indexbox.io; autorite-transports.fr) If Le Train clears that process and gets trains into service, travelers on two of western France’s busiest routes would get a new operator on lines long dominated by SNCF’s high-speed brands. (railjournal.com; tgvinoui.sncf)
