What if we told you that building a new high-speed rail line isn't enough to run more trains? That's right, because even before they carry their first passengers, the trains need to be cleaned, maintained, repaired, and parked between trips. In other words, they need a Maintenance and Storage Facility (SMR). Although it has long remained in the shadows, this infrastructure has nevertheless become one of the new challenges facing the development of the French rail system.
That’s exactly what we went to find out in Marcheprime, near Bordeaux, where LISEA is building France’s first private, independent, multi-operator rail maintenance facility. Why is this project so strategic? And how might it change things for passengers in the future? Here’s a closer look.
When we talk about rail development, we naturally think of new lines, stations, or even the trains themselves. However, there is another piece of infrastructure that is absolutely essential: the Maintenance and Storage Facility (SMR).
This is where trains are cleaned, inspected, maintained, repaired, and parked between runs. Without it, it would be impossible to ensure their daily operation.
As Nidia Martins, director of the SMR project at LISEA, explains:
“When a train arrives at the SMR, it is guided to the track reserved for it—either for routine maintenance, cleaning, servicing, or emptying the restrooms, or simply for storage. [...] The train needs to stay there overnight until it returns to service the next day, or until much more extensive maintenance work is completed.”
In other words: No SMR, no trains.
For several decades, this wasn’t really an issue: a single operator ran the TGVs. Today, with the gradual opening of the rail market, new players are looking to offer their own services. But beyond trains, train paths, and financing, they still need a place to maintain them.
As Lionel Epely, president of LISEA, puts it:
“Once we’ve financed and purchased trains, we need to find a home for them. France currently lacks this infrastructure because all maintenance facilities are operated by SNCF Voyageurs.”
The future SMR in Marcheprime aims to address precisely this need.
A major construction project
About 20 kilometers from Bordeaux, LISEA is currently building an extraordinary facility. A few figures give an idea of the scale of the project:
The goal is simple: to provide an independent platform capable of accommodating TGVs, TERs, and Intercités trains alike.
Unlike historic districts, this site was designed from the outset as a piece of infrastructure open to multiple operators, with the same access requirements for everyone.
More than a dozen sites were evaluated in the Bordeaux area. Marcheprime was chosen because it met several criteria: it offered sufficient space, minimized environmental impacts, provided direct access to the national rail network, and offered quick access to the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high-speed rail line.
A strategic location, right next to a line that still has significant capacity.
The Construction Site in Marcheprime
This is one of the most surprising things we learned during our visit. Today, the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique is far from operating at full capacity. It has a theoretical capacity of approximately 196 daily trips, even though only about half of them are currently in use.
In other words, it is possible to increase the number of trains without building a new line. However, operators must have all the necessary infrastructure in place to launch their services, starting with a maintenance facility.
The first carrier to use the future SMR will be Velvet, which plans to store and maintain its twelve high-speed trains there starting in 2028. Eventually, the site will also be able to accommodate other companies—both French and foreign—as well as regional rolling stock.
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The stated goal is to provide a neutral infrastructure that is accessible to all operators on equal terms.
The project represents 266 million euros, funded entirely by private capital. LISEA also points out that it has obtained a Green Loan, a loan whose funding is contingent on compliance with measurable environmental commitments, particularly regarding energy consumption, water management, and biodiversity.
According to Lionel Epely:
“This Green Loan certification recognizes the site’s contribution to the system in terms of decarbonizing transportation, while also acknowledging the efforts made to design the site in the most sustainable way possible.”
SMRs: A Critical Issue for the French Rail System
Rails, stations, and trains naturally attract all the attention. Yet the development of rail transportation also relies on much more discreet infrastructure. The future SMR in Marcheprime is a good example of this. By offering an independent, multi-operator maintenance facility, it aims to remove one of the obstacles currently limiting the development of new rail services.
On its own, it obviously won’t transform the French rail landscape. But it could be an important piece of a larger puzzle: that of a network capable of accommodating more trains, more passengers, and, eventually, low-carbon transportation options.
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Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
