Something… different was unveiled by Alstom in France. A train rollout is normally nothing out of the ordinary. But it seems the first of Proxima (a private entity which wishes to operate high-speed trains on the French Rail network) has unveiled its first train… and its branding.
And it’s called Velvet Trains.
Velvet Trains Avelia Horizon – Image, Alstom.
Velvet Trains is targeting operations for Paris to destinations along the LGV Atlantique (and beyond), including Angers, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, targeting journeys of around 2 hours. They aim to add 10 million extra seats a year between these cities, whilst trying to simplify the train travel process.
This company will compete with the existing state incumbent, SNCF Voyageurs, which operates similar journeys using its TGV.
To enable this, the founders (Rachel Picard and Tim Jackson) partnered with Antin Infrastructure Partners, raising €1 billion in the process.
Velvet Trains founders Rachel Picard and Tim Jackson at the rollout – Image, Velvet Trains
A lot of that went into the order for 12 Avelia Horizon very high-speed trains, which was placed in October 2024. These trains will be nine-car trainsets, with Alstom providing 15 years of support.
The Avelia Horizon is a development of the TGV programme, featuring two power cars and double-decker trailers. Developed as the TGV M, Alstom has made sales both to SNCF and to ONCF (Moroccan State Railway), as well as Proxima (which has changed its name to Velvet Trains).
Onto Testing
Soon to be zooming through from Paris to cities west – Rendering, Velvet Trains.
With the power car rolled out, testing is scheduled to begin in 2026, with services commencing in 2028.
So far, there’s a video showing off the concept at https://www.velvet.fr/, but nothing yet about the passenger experience that will be delivered.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Open-access rail operations in France have slowly developed (compared to some other countries), where companies by paths for their trains to operate and compete with other services (usually with a differencal of some sort, be it cost or destinations served).
So far, it’s been other nationals getting involved (with Trenitalia of Italy and RENFE of Spain operating high-speed services in France). Others are coming along too, with Le Train and Kevin Speed (no relation) starting their journeys.
High-speed rail is an attractive option to move people around, whilst keeping equipment working hard. If you recognise that model in aviation, it’s the same one that drives the low-cost carriers – to keep the aircraft on the ground as little as possible, so they’re in the air, earning money.
If something aids the travel experience, then I’m all for it – which is the differencal that Velvet Train is going for, especially if it aids intermodal/multimodal travel.
I’ll be keeping more than an eye open on this as Velvet Trains develop their business and implementation plans.
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I admit to being a little puzzled. France spends a lot of money on rail subsidies for SNCF and national rail systems are pretty much never moneymakers. Does velvet really think they can build out the infrastructure, buy the trains, and still make a profit over a heavily subsidized established company? That seems a pretty gargantuan task.