Against all odds, it's the SNCF which will continue to operate the lines Nantes-Bordeaux and Nantes-Lyon whose lots were put out to tender as part of theopening up to rail competition. The announcement was made by Philippe Tabarot, the French Minister for Transport. " The [SNCF Voyageurs] offer offers a better quality of service, a more ambitious transport offer and higher passenger numbers. It is also the most competitive in economic terms for the State, which guarantees the financial equilibrium of these lines." explained the Ministry of Transport. In a press release, the rail company welcomed the award of this contract for two regional balance train lines (TET). " This confirms the competitiveness of SNCF Voyageurs in the challenges of opening up to competition" she said after beating the competing bids submitted by the Spanish railway company Renfe and The Traina new entrant which also aims to run its first TGVs on the high-speed lines in western France from 2026.
More trains and on-board comfort
Due to start in December 2026 and run for ten years, the new contract covers ". operation, maintenance, customer relations and some marketing tasks" says the SNCF, which intends to create a own company to operate the two lines. The national carrier will continue to use the "Coradia Liner" trains brought into service in 2017 and entirely financed by the State to ensure the continuity of these services. As the rounds go by to decide between the three competitors, SNCF has improved its final offer, which for Nantes-Bordeaux will see an increase from 4 to 5 round trips, plus a sixth rotation on Fridays and Sundays. And for Nantes-Lyon, the current 3 return trips will be maintained, but with greater capacity. on board to meet the growth in demand. Traffic on both lines has been growing since 2022, and SNCF has already added trains. The operator has also undertaken to offer passengers greater on-board comfort, mobile catering, digital entertainment, etc. In order to win the tender, SNCF has also planned to build a maintenance workshop at the station. Nantes in 2030.
Paris-Clermont-Ferrand and Paris-Limoges-Toulouse next on the list
The French government has welcomed this improvement in the quality of service on these two routes and will continue " opening up to competition the other sections of the regional balance trains it organises" added Philippe Tabarot, adding that the next rail lines to be put out to tender will be the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand and Paris-Limoges-Toulouse. For its part, Train regretted " its offer was not sufficiently recognised" . The future high-speed train operator explains that this was ". competitive, focused on an enhanced customer experience, increased service frequency and a sustainable approach" . This last environmental point was not emphasised by SNCF in its victory communiqué. Train then asked the French government to " guarantee a transparent and fair competitive tendering framework. In particular, it is essential to ensure that all candidates have access to complete and robust data. "on the lines in question. This is a recurring criticism levelled at SNCF by its competitors in previous calls for tender,
