Velvet secures operating licence ahead of 2028 French high-speed launch

French rail start-up Velvet has obtained its railway undertaking licence from France’s transport authorities, clearing an important regulatory hurdle in its plan to compete with SNCF on domestic high-speed services.

Formerly known as Proxima, Velvet intends to begin operating in summer 2028. Its planned network will connect Paris with Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Angers, concentrating on France’s busy Atlantic high-speed corridor. The company aims eventually to provide more than 10 million additional seats annually.

Velvet was founded by former SNCF executive Rachel Picard and Tim Jackson and is financed by Antin Infrastructure Partners, which initially committed approximately €1 billion to the project.

The operator has ordered 12 Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck trains, broadly from the same platform as SNCF’s TGV M. The contract, worth almost €850 million, includes 15 years of maintenance, with the first trains due for delivery in 2028. They will be capable of operating at more than 300 km/h.

A dedicated maintenance facility is planned at Marcheprime, southwest of Bordeaux. Velvet unveiled its first completed trainset at Alstom’s La Rochelle plant in April 2026, although testing and regulatory approval still have to be completed.

The operating licence does not by itself authorise passenger services. Velvet must still obtain a single safety certificate, complete approval of its rolling stock and secure train paths from infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau. The intended summer 2028 launch therefore remains dependent on these approvals and the timely delivery of the trains.

If successful, Velvet would become the first privately backed French operator to mount a substantial challenge to SNCF on the western domestic high-speed network. Italian operator Trenitalia already competes with SNCF on selected routes radiating from Paris, but not yet on the Atlantic corridor.

Sources: Railway Gazette, Antin Infrastructure Partners, Alstom