This was an image we'd been waiting for. The very first Velvet train, France's new high-speed rail company, has rolled out of the factory in La Rochelle. A milestone that's as symbolic as it is concrete, in a project targeting a 2028 launch.
Behind this deep fir tree green train with its lilac ribbon, more than just a new rail operator is taking shape. It's a promise: 10 million additional seats per year on lines that are already at capacity. But is this truly a revolution? Or simply another incremental step in a system already under strain?
On the ground, this Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the message is clear. “Make the train the winner,” insists Rachel Picard, co-founder of Velvet. Behind this slogan lies a broader ambition: to offer “more options for planning your travels,” and even, in the long run, to “redraw the boundaries between work and personal life.” It’s a vision that goes beyond simply launching a new operator.
What is this event? The first train set from Velvet, a future independent high-speed rail company, has rolled off the production line in La Rochelle. This marks the first concrete step toward its commercial launch.
When will Velvet begin operating? The first commercial services are scheduled for 2028, on the Paris–Bordeaux, Paris–Nantes, Paris–Rennes, and Paris–Angers routes.
Exactly what kind of train is rolling off the production line? An Avelia Horizon train produced by Alstom in La Rochelle—the same model as the SNCF’s future TGV M, which is double-decker and more spacious.
Will this lower prices? Not guaranteed. Competition may drive down fares, but infrastructure constraints remain the same. Co-founder Rachel Picard clarified that Velvet will be neither low-cost nor high-end.
Since the pandemic, rail travel in France has surged. Today, around 15% of would-be passengers can't find a seat on the busiest routes — a figure that could climb to 25% by 2030, according to projections put forward by Velvet at its launch in June 2024.
In this context, Velvet positions itself as a direct response to this market saturation, targeting routes in particularly high demand such as Paris–Bordeaux, Paris–Nantes, Paris–Rennes, and Paris–Angers. These are routes where demand is already very high, especially during peak periods such as weekend getaways and school vacations.
The roll-out of this first Velvet train in La Rochelle marks a tangible step forward for a project that, until now, could still have felt distant. Less than twelve months after the €1 billion funding round announced in June 2024, production is underway at Alstom, trains are being built, and the industrial schedule is on track.
The launch will take place in phases. Velvet plans to start with four trains on the Paris–Bordeaux route beginning in mid-2028, before expanding its service to other lines. This rollout will be limited by the pace of train deliveries, estimated at about one train per month.
In an industry where timelines are often long and uncertain—particularly during testing and certification phases, when projects can fall behind schedule—this rapid ramp-up is already a significant sign.
To understand Velvet's ambitions, future routes and market positioning in full detail, check out our complete guide to the Velvet rail company:
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Velvet, the first "private TGV" made in France: a revolution in rail travel?
At first glance, the roll-out of the first Velvet train in La Rochelle might suggest a major leap forward in the on-board experience. In reality, the change will likely be more nuanced. The trains ordered are Avelia Horizon sets, a new generation of high-speed trains developed by Alstom — the same model as the future TGV M ordered by SNCF Voyageurs.
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These double-decker trains, designed by Alstom, promise more space, greater natural light thanks to larger windows, and improved energy efficiency. From a technical standpoint, they are in line with the latest high-speed trains deployed in France.
Velvet emphasizes a point of differentiation that lies more in the onboard experience, with an interior design inspired by other sectors such as the hotel and airline industries, and a design that incorporated user feedback from the earliest stages of the project. It remains to be seen how these intentions will translate into reality once the trains are in service.
Motrice Velvet © Tolt - HOURRAIL !
These double-decker trains, designed by Alstom, promise more space, greater natural light thanks to larger windows, and improved energy efficiency. From a technical standpoint, they are in line with the latest high-speed trains deployed in France.
This development also raises broader issues. Today, the rail model relies in part on a balance between profitable lines and less-traveled lines, with the former helping to finance the latter. This is the principle of revenue sharing that allows less popular routes to remain accessible, as Alain Krakovitch explained to us.
This model relies largely on the incumbent operator. SNCF Voyageurs is currently the main contributor to the network’s financing, notably through the rail tolls it pays, but also more broadly through its role in maintaining the system’s economic balance.
By focusing exclusively on the most in-demand (and most lucrative) routes, Velvet follows a coherent economic logic, but one that raises questions: what happens to this balance if competition concentrates on the most profitable segments? This is, in fact, a question raised by the opening of the market to competition in Europe over the past several years, with responses varying widely from country to country.
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Beyond the issue of pricing, the challenge also lies in passenger load factors. To achieve financial stability, Velvet will need to gradually attract a wider range of travelers. This could involve targeted offers or more innovative distribution models, although few details have been provided at this stage.
But the arrival of a new player doesn't make the sector's structural constraints disappear, particularly the cost of network access and infrastructure bottlenecks at peak times.
First Avelia Horizon - © Velvet
When it comes to distribution, Velvet certainly has a clear strategy: to be present on as many booking platforms as possible, in order to make its trains accessible to as many people as possible. This is a key challenge for a new entrant, which must both build brand awareness and fill its trains quickly.
On the ground, Velvet also emphasizes its commitment to establishing a long-term presence in the regions it will serve—a key factor in supporting the opening of the market to competition.
Velvet's arrival could help improve access to rail travel on some of the busiest routes. More seats means potentially fewer passengers left on the platform, a more diverse offer, and welcome downward pressure on peak-hour fares. For regular travellers between Paris and the Atlantic coast, that's a real and near-term prospect.
But it would be an overstatement to see this as an immediate transformation of the rail system. The infrastructure constraints remain unchanged: high-speed lines are shared, track capacity is limited, and Parisian terminals are already stretched at peak times. Velvet will run on the same tracks as TGV Inoui trains, under the same network access rules.
Velvet is therefore better understood as part of an evolutionary shift rather than a rupture — which doesn't make it any less good news for passengers.
With the roll-out of this first Velvet train in La Rochelle, the company enters a decisive phase. Technical testing, homologation by the EPSF (France's rail safety authority), the full production of all 12 ordered sets, and operational preparation will now set the rhythm for the years ahead until launch.
The real test will therefore begin with the first commercial services on the Paris–Bordeaux route, followed by a gradual expansion of the network as more trains are delivered. This phased rollout stands in contrast to the impression—often that of an instantaneous change—that the arrival of a new operator can create.
To achieve this, Velvet is guided by three stated priorities: meeting the production schedule, creating a travel experience that lives up to expectations, and successfully establishing a presence in the regions. These three challenges alone underscore the scale of the project.
Between now and then, the project will continue to evolve. But one thing is certain: the French rail landscape is changing. And this time, that change is no longer just an announcement. It has taken the form of a real train, out of a real factory, in La Rochelle.
Rachel Picard et Timothy Jackson, cofondateurs de Velvet - © Velvet
Velvet is unlikely to transform French rail overnight. But with this first train out of the factory, the project has definitively left the realm of intentions and entered the realm of reality.
In a network under strain, where demand already outpaces supply, every additional seat counts. And on that front, Velvet's arrival could make a genuine difference for passengers, particularly on the busiest routes.
That said, rail is about more than adding trains. It rests on complex balances between profitability, accessibility and regional connectivity. The liberalisation of the market, of which Velvet is the latest example (following Trenitalia on the Mediterranean corridor), could reshuffle some of the cards, without necessarily resolving all the underlying constraints.
Between now and 2028, this project will be worth watching closely. More than just another promise, Velvet asks a straightforward question: what should the train of tomorrow look like?
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.
