France’s first private high-speed train company has told The Connexion of its plans to offer fast links between 11 destinations in the west from 2027, slashing journey times.
Bordeaux-based Le Train does not plan to serve Paris but will focus on direct intra and inter- regional trips.
It says these are poorly served today, with many people opting to use cars or short flights instead of long connecting train journeys via the capital.
The westeof France will be the first to see its purpose-built trains – 10 are being built by Spanish firm Talgo.
There will be 50 daily trains from 2027, starting from Arcachon, Bordeaux, Angoulême, Nantes and Rennes.
Other cities to be served will include Tours, Poitiers, Niort, La Rochelle and Angers.
Later, it will look to serve other regions and to provide direct trains between different regions.
Trains will serve routes that 'do not currently exist'
Co-founder and CEO Alain Gétraud said better train services will be important for France’s future development and will offer environmental advantages.
The government recently announced plans to increase tax on air tickets, potentially making trains more competitive.
Mr Gétraud said SNCF has already done a “pretty good job” in creating a shift to trains, away from the car and short-haul flights, when it comes to linking regional cities and Paris.
“We will propose high-speed routes that do not currently exist – between regional cities, where there are large population basins and a need for business, leisure and tourist transport,” he said.
“Our first major lines will be Bordeaux-Nantes and Bordeaux-Rennes, greatly reducing existing travel times, with Bordeaux-Nantes, direct, in less than three hours, and Bordeaux-Rennes, direct, in less than three-and-a-half hours.”
Le Train – the commercial brand name is expected to be different from the company name – has €15million in funds from private investors, a Nouvelle-Aquitaine region fund, and two large French banks. It is in talks to finalise a further €350million.
Read more: Train 'revolution' on its way in France as high-speed market opens to competition
Cutting travel times
Deputy managing director Catherine Pihan-Le Bars said: “Today, travellers must take several TGVs, passing through Paris, where they change trains, which is a risk and less comfortable.
“And these journeys take four hours 45 minutes for Bordeaux-Rennes or four hours 30 minutes for Bordeaux-Nantes.
“People often prefer to take their car, as you can drive from Bordeaux to Nantes by car in three-and-a-half hours. Also, if the price is uncompetitive, people will not change habits.
With us, they will sit comfortably, with Wi-Fi, and arrive quickly without connections. Bordeaux-Nantes in under three hours is key for us.”
One of its lines will also serve a new stop south of Bordeaux near Bordeaux-Merignac Airport, from which a shuttle bus will take 10 minutes to reach the terminals. Current tram or bus options from Bordeaux station take half an hour or more.
The firm is working with two air companies, aiming to offer combined air-train tickets.
Mr Gétraud, who has worked in both public and private sectors, including SNCF, said: “I’m from the Atlantic coast, near Bordeaux, so the [west of France] is a region that I know really well.
“It has seen a population explosion and has a remarkably dynamic economy, and needs better and more modern mobility, which means high speed.”
Service will adapt to customer demands
Le Train aims to be reactive – for example, to try new lines but stop them if they are not popular, to link up two trains if a line is busy or, alternatively, decouple if demand drops.
He said a “customer-centric” approach will be key.
“There will be staff dedicated to helping with passengers’ journeys, not checking tickets. We have also planned our interiors to be accessible and pleasant.
“We are looking at lower-capacity trains than other operators, which are clearly going for a more ‘low-cost’ model, with the need to fill up the trains.
“The trains will have two ambiances – ‘comfort’ or ‘exclusive’ – the latter being more high-end.”
Each train will have a catering and shopping carriage and there will be additional places on board where passengers can obtain food and drink.
Ms Pihan-Le Bars said: “Many people use their car to go on holiday, which is another reason to launch on the Atlantic coast, which is touristy. There is a ready-made market of travellers we can get to take the train.
“Many travel with bikes because they want to do tours, or bring their children’s bikes, so they will be able to bring them and other leisure equipment.
“The trains will be single-level and more spacious than today’s double-deckers. If you take your car, you don’t worry about bringing bags. Similarly, we don’t want to create obstacles.
“Many other areas, such as in the south and east, could also potentially benefit from this.”
Le Train looked into other models, such as second-hand trains or renting, but Mr Gétraud said they “went for new-build because they will last a long time and can be designed to offer Le Train’s own travel experience with the latest technology and lower energy consumption as well as being more reliable”.
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Easy ticket purchasing
Tickets will be sold via the firm’s site and app, but last-minute tickets will also be available to buy on the train.
Ms Pihan-Le Bars said: “We will work with platforms such as thetrainline.com but do not want to work with sites that are complicated to use.”
Le Train promises prices that are “accessible”, more understandable and less fluctuating.
Mr Gétraud said: “We could have gone for the model others use, with variable prices that keep going up until the day of travel but, to favour the modal shift, there must be some available seats at the last minute.
“Perhaps we will start with prices that are not quite so low as those of competitors but will end up much less high. If we make train travel easy, people will not think ‘I have to travel in three days so I must go by car’.”
Asked if the opening of the market could see ticket prices rise overall, Mr Gértraud said the experience in Spain and Italy shows the opposite.
“In Italy, since Italo arrived, more competition has resulted in more demand and a price reduction. In Spain, this is even more notable. Today, there are four operators and prices have dropped.
“At first, competition pushes down prices, and later they might rise a little, but not compared to previous pricing. It happened also with telephones.”
Compared to rail privatisation in the UK, he added, it will not be a huge overnight change. SNCF will remain a major player, whereas in the UK British Rail was abolished.
Read more: Italian train operator Trenitalia to open Paris-Marseille route
