INFO "SUD OUEST". Bordeaux-Paris train line: Velvet, SNCF's competitor, arrives in 2028

The new railway company headed by the former director of SNCF voyageurs will offer a competing high-speed service.

We knew it by the project name Proxima, but now we'll call it Velvet. The company, led by Rachel Picard, former director of SNCF voyageurs, has just revealed its name and colors. Velvet will connect the cities of Bordeaux, Angers, Nantes, and Rennes to Paris at high speed and will offer 10 million tickets each year.

Ordered last September, 12 trains are currently under construction in Belfort for the power cars and La Rochelle for the carriages. The trains will be painted in deep green and lilac colors during the summer.

The fleet of 12 Velvet trains will be complete by the end of 2028. The Velvet service will initially open between Bordeaux and Paris. It will be launched as soon as Velvet has four trains. All trains will be maintained in Marcheprime, Gironde, at the Lisea maintenance center, which has just begun construction.