The opening up of the French rail network to competition is gathering pace. After Trenitaliathe first AVE - Renfe's high-speed train - from the French border. Barcelona arrived at Lyon on the occasion of a dry run" These tests, without passengers, were carried out in preparation for the Spanish national airline's imminent arrival on the French network. With a launch before the summer on the Barcelona-Lyon and Madrid–Marseille. Renfe obtained its Security Certificates on 22 December last, and the new operator has already stated that it has " of the first qualified drivers "and a cabin crew in training.
12 weekly services to start with
Once driver training has been completed in mid-April, Renfe will announce the precise date on which commercial operations will begin. The transport plan will begin with six trains a week on alternate days on each line, between Madrid and Marseille and from Barcelona to Lyon. Depending on the route, this will include stops at Valencia TGV, Nîmes, Montpellier, Narbonne and Perpignan in France, and Figueres Vilafant (Figueras) and Girona (Gérone) in Spain. The service will then be expanded to two daily services in each direction, i.e. 28 trains a week.
While the carrier's operational centre will be based in Barcelona, the opening of a commercial branch in France has been announced to ensure that the trains are as full as possible. This is already shaping up to be a challenge if the operation is to be profitable. For the moment, no information has been provided on the price list and specific services which will be offered to leisure and business customers.
Paris-Lyon-Barcelona trains hoped for summer 2024
In its press release, Renfe scratches at the French bureaucracy, because while the Safety Certificate is obtained in Spain for the entire high-speed network, it is only valid in France on dedicated lines, currently Perpignan-Lyon and Perpignan-Marseille. " We are continuing to work towards obtaining the Safety Certificate to operate [lines] throughout France." says the Spanish company. Withhorizon 2024 service Paris-Lyon-Barcelona and, more recently, the SNCF, the French national railway company. Trenitalia - between Paris and the capital of Gaul. Following the break in autumn 2022 of theSNCF-Renfe agreement within Ellipsos, the former, which was the cause of the divorce, has also launched on its own in mid-December on the Paris-Barcelona route currently operating two daily services (3 are planned for the summer season). The SNCF having already become a an aggressive competitor to Renfe with its low-cost Ouigo Spain service on the Madrid-Barcelona route...
