The Greater West is attracting new rail operators. After The Train which plans to launch in 2026, another major competitor to the SNCF has today announced its arrival: Proxima. The project is being led by a number of industry heavyweights, including Rachel Picard, former Director of SNCF Traveland Timothy Jackson who, after working for Airbus and RATP, founded the train hire company Alpha Trains. Capital being the sinews of war, given the recent setbacks of Railcoop and Midnight Trains, the financing has been secured 1 billion through the Autin Infrastructure Partners fund, currently the young company's sole shareholder
Since the first leaks just over a year ago about Proxima, the code name for the project whose brand name is still being kept secret, the project has moved forward at the speed of a TGV, with the partners having signed an agreement with the manufacturer Alstom for the forthcoming order of 12 Avelia Horizon high-speed trains, the same ones as the famous SNCF TGV M. They have also signed an agreement with Lisea, the operator of the Sud Europe Atlantique high-speed line, for Proxima to use an Alstom maintenance workshop near Bordeaux.
Three western lines from 2028
Proxima TGVs will operate on three routes in the Greater West of France: from Paris to Bordeaux, Angers-Nantes and Rennes. Some 10 million seats a year will be offered for sale. However, no date has been announced for SNCF Réseau to apply for the precious train paths these future TGVs will need. However, the new company intends to run its first TGVs in 2028Once all the necessary approvals have been obtained and the trials completed, which are due to start in 2027, the plant will be ready for launch.
Alstom will have to work twice as hard to deliver these 12 trainsets on time, as the rail manufacturer also has to supply the SNCF with 115 units of this 5-kilometre TGV.e generation, to be delivered over ten years. These double-deck trains are mass-produced at Belfort for the power cars and at La Rochelle for the carriages. This TGV will have been fully tested and technically validated beforehand, since it is the SNCF, and more specifically the SNCF Voyageurs Equipment Engineering teams, who are currently carrying out the acceptance tests that will enable the European Railways Agency to issue the Marketing Authorisation.
A new player to drive growth in the high-speed market
Same trains, same lines: for stand out from the SNCFProxima will have to work on an original interior design for the cars. For all that, Rachel Picard has made it clear that she has no intention of attacking head-on the high-speed offer of her former company, where she managed the stations and the Voyages-SNCF.com website. " My vision is to provide an alternative, to attract new customers who are still using the car today.she added in a press release. That's why I've decided to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure to create a new French high-speed rail company, 100%, which will strengthen the current offer." .
