Things are speeding up for Velvet. Following the unveiling of its first high-speed train in its corporate colours – purple and green – last April, the up-and-coming rail operator has just been granted its railway undertaking licence by the Directorate-General for Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility (DGITM). This key milestone will allow it to « to order train paths, access essential infrastructure and structure its operations », stated Velvet in its press release.
Indeed, this new operator, which aims to challenge SNCF from 2028 on the Greater West network with services from Paris to Rennes, Le Mans, Angers, Nantes, Bordeaux, and beyond, has only two years left. The railway undertaking licence is an important milestone. It authorises us to go further in the preparation of our trains, our teams and our procedures », as Rachel Picard, co-founder and president of Velvet, pointed out.
A multi-stage launch by 2028
Indeed, many other steps still await Velvet before its commercial launch in 2028. These notably include the interior design of its high-speed train fleet (not yet unveiled to date), the definition of operating procedures, the testing and certification of these trainsets with the obtaining of its single safety certificate, the recruitment and training of its staff (drivers, ticket inspectors, train managers, and station and on-board hosts and hostesses), ticket distribution, and the marketing aspect to launch and develop its brand awareness in France and internationally.
"Right from the start, Velvet has made safety second nature: every design decision and every operational choice is tested against this standard. It is this rigorous approach that will allow our passengers to board with complete confidence. ", adds Rachel Picard. Important, the question of TGV maintenance has been entrusted for 15 years to Alstom, which is currently building a centre in Marcheprime near Bordeaux.
Ten million passengers expected
As the first independent French railway company, Velvet has ordered 12 Avelia Horizon high-speed trains from Alstom, a derivative of SNCF's famous TGV M, which is finally set to begin commercial operations in the coming days. For this entire ambitious project, Velvet has secured around one billion euros from banks, including €850m for the acquisition of the trains. The operator, which is targeting both leisure and business customers with cheaper fares than those of SNCF, expects a traffic of 10 million passengers in a full year between the capital and major cities along the Atlantic coast.
