


Brand recognition of Renfe’s AVE high-speed label backfires
So synonymous is Spanish operator Renfe’s AVE brand with high-speed services that when a competitor’s train broke down earlier this week, Renfe received the complaints. The Spanish operator has reached out to market and competition...Read more
Alstom’s TGV M tested on the French rail network
During the night of 21 to 22 June, dynamic tests began in France with the TGV M, the fifth-generation TGV built by Alstom. The high-speed train is due to enter commercial service with SNCF in...Read more
Ouigo inaugurates third Spanish high-speed service
Ouigo Spain has launched its third high-speed service last Friday, connecting Madrid to Albacete and to coastal city Alicante. Low-cost operator Ouigo now connects the two cities in less than two and a half hours...Read more
Lower traction energy costs elevate Renfe’s quarterly figures
Renfe has seen its traction energy costs fall by more than 30 per cent over the last quarter. This has helped the Spanish operator to contain overall costs and reduce its losses. An increase in...Read more
French ART report confirms post-pandemic rail progress
Over 400 kilometres of rail tracks were taken out of service between 2019 and 2021, according to the annual review by the French Transport Regulation Authority (ART) published this week. However, the intensity of rail...Read more
Spain ready to become testing ground for international high-speed rail competition in Europe
As the end of the year is approaching, Iryo is preparing to enter the Spanish high-speed rail market in full force. The 25th of November will mark an historical day, as for the first time...Read more
New high-speed player to join Spanish network in November
Private high-speed train operator Iryo will join Renfe and Ouigo on the Spanish high-speed rail network from November 25 onwards, Spanish media reported last week. Earlier this month, Iryo CEO Simone Gorini also said there...Read more
Major delays after Ouigo train rips off overhead line between Madrid and Barcelona
A Ouigo train travelling from Madrid to Barcelona ripped off several hundred of metres of overhead line from the high-speed railway line on Saturday, causing major delays for thousands of passengers.Read more
SNCF’s spring holiday tickets sales at pre-corona levels
SNCF has already sold some 7,2 million tickets for its long-distance trains for the spring holiday period in France, which began on April 16 for certain regions and will end on May 9 for others.Read more
SNCF launches OUIGO Classic trains on historical tracks
SNCF kicked-off its OUIGO Classic services on Monday. The trains offer low-cost tickets to destinations on the Lyon-Paris-Nantes arch using refurbished rolling stock on some of France’s most historical tracks.Read more
SNCF announces its new ‘Ouigo vitesse classique’ service
SNCF announced the expansion of the Ouigo brand, this time in the form of renovated classic trains, on the French domestic network.Read more
Alstom and SNCF present new TGV M power car
Following the presentation of a TGV M body shell on 16 July 2020, Alstom and SNCF unveiled the first TGV M power car last week on Wednesday. The first trainsets of the new modular TGV...Read more
Ouigo Spain is a fact: operation started
Ouigo launched its service between Madrid and Barcelona this Monday, 10 May. A subsidiary of the French SNCF, it is the first new high-speed operator to enter the Spanish market. Ouigo offers 10 daily trips...Read more