SNCF hits 3.5 million kilometres travelled on biodiesel
Trains on the Paris-Granville line in Normandy have recently hit a milestone of 3,5 million kilometres covered on B100, a biofuel entirely made from French rapeseed, instead of running on diesel. This makes the tests...Read more
SNCF and SBB extend their partnership for TGV Lyria services
The French and Swiss state railways SNCF and SBB have renewed their cooperation agreement until 2027. The TGV Lyria cross-border services will thus continue running for at least another five years.Read more
Four French entrepreneurs want to operate trains differently
AnalysisLaunching your own trains in France is not easy, yet four entrepreneurs are trying to put private trains on the rails where the SNCF has abandoned services. They all have a different business model and...Read more
Trainline sees lower prices and more tickets sold following Trenitalia and SNCF competition
Since Trenitalia has been running trains on the routes Paris-Lyon and Paris-Milan as a second operator next to SNCF, prices have decreased and train ticket reservations increased, booking platform Trainline reveals following an analysis of...Read more
SNCF to expand rail-road vehicle testing efforts in France
SNCF will be testing its Flexy rail-road vehicle in Brittany next year as part of an ongoing testing programme for the battery-powered people mover. Through a subsidiary, SNCF is also involved in the Ferromobile project,...Read more
French electricity price for rail will increase 745 percent
SNCF Réseau will increase the electricity prices in France, from 56 euros/MWh in 2021 to 473,51 euros/MWh in 2023, which means an 8.5-fold increase in prices. What are the consequences for rail freight and passengers?Read more
Sqills pushes new boundaries as unit of Siemens Mobility
A little over one year ago, Siemens Mobility wrapped up the acquisition of Dutch company Sqills, a provider of SaaS inventory, reservation and ticketing software solutions. Company CEO and co-founder Bart van Munster looks back...Read more
France considers price cap for rail tickets with rising inflation
French transport minister Clément Beaune is working with SNCF to establish a tariff cap for rail tickets to make sure the increase remains lower than the inflation, he said on French television this week. The...Read more
France seems to welcome competition on the rails, yet new services keep getting postponed
AnalysisOnly one competitor to the state-owned railways SNCF currently runs trains on the French network. This is Italy’s Trenitalia, which has been running on the Paris-Lyon-Milan axis since 2020. Although there are quite some plans...Read more
Dutch government to open international connections up to competition
The Dutch ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will allow competition on the international lines to Brussels, Paris, London and Basel, as well as the service between Amsterdam and Berlin. The move is not without...Read more
SNCF develops DACE: a system for ‘the intelligent detection of train anomalies’
SNCF’s rail network manager, SNCF and Rail Logistics Europe, an entity grouping its rail freight units, have deployed a system for “the intelligent detection of train anomalies.”Read more
Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking awards first research and innovation grants
The very first call for proposals for rail research and innovation activities by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking will see six project receive a total of 568,4 million euros in funding. The projects will involve more...Read more
Network access dispute involving SNCF Reseau resolved
With a decision published on 6 September, the Autorité de Régulation des Transports (ART) resolved a dispute concerning “the technical conditions and operations for access to the railway network”. The French authority decided in favour...Read more