SNCF prepares new TGV M maintenance centres
SNCF Voyageurs is embarking on a vast programme to modernise its maintenance centres to accommodate the future TGV INOUI, the fifth generation of French high-speed trains. The aim of this work is to adapt the...Read more
SNCF further adapts service after landslide in Maurienne valley
The tracks upstream of the French-Italian Fréjus tunnel, between the French Saint-Michel-Valloire and Modane, were completely blocked by a rockslide on 27 August 2023, interrupting rail traffic. Repair work in the Maurienne valley in the...Read more
SNCF’s new ‘Botox programme’ to increase TGV services
104 French high-speed trains will be getting a facelift. SNCF Voyageurs and its rolling stock division are launching the ‘Botox Programme’ to optimise the use and lifespan of their existing trains. This will include mid-life or end-of-life...Read more
SNCF and RATP use massive crane for operation ‘Chagall’
SNCF Reseau and RATP are renewing two bridges in Essonne, in the Île-de-France region. The aim of this 116 million euro project, nicknamed operation ‘Chagall’, which started in 2020, is to improve the performance of...Read more
Summer ticket sales skyrocket in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands
France is aiming for a new record in summer train ticket sales this summer, according to the SNCF. Last summer, the SNCF had a record-breaking summer in terms of ticket sales, with over 23 million...Read more
SNCF fined for the death of passenger’s cat
SNCF has been fined 2.000 euros by a French police tribunal, for unintentionally endangering the life of an animal. The trial took place after a pet cat was killed by a departing TGV at Montparnasse...Read moreAlstom’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
France’s Northern high-speed line enters middle-age
It has now been almost thirty years since the first section of France’s Northern high-speed line was opened, on 23 May 1996. This line, which runs from Paris Gare du Nord to the north of...Read more
Taxing motorways to finance rail infrastructure? SNCF CEO says yes
To finance the 100-billion-euro plan announced last month by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou insists that “all accessible sources of funding must be used”. He even proposes taxing motorways and airports...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
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 moreSNCF’s new TGV M arrives in Czech Republic for dynamic testing
The first train of the fifth generation TGV rolling stock has arrived at the Velim testing facility at Cerhenice in the Czech Republic. There, manufacturer Alstom, SNCF Voyageurs and SNCF Matériel will conduct a series...Read more