The current operator or the risky bet of an actor who has not yet proven himself: SNCF and Le Train are the only candidates to operate the Intercités Paris-Clermont and Paris-Toulouse lines.

The opening to competition in French rail continues. In addition to "open access" high-speed lines where a new operator does what it wants as long as it has the necessary authorizations, rolling stock and traffic paths, the State puts on the market the territory's balance lines, the Intercités, which come under its financing, particularly in terms of rolling stock. In this case, competition is carried out by calls for tender and in batches, which implies obligations for the candidate (services, frequencies, etc.).

) imposed by the State. The first lot covering the Nantes-Bordeaux and Nantes-Lyon lines was awarded in January 2025. It was the proposal from the current operator, SNCF Voyageurs, which was accepted in the face of applications from Renfe (the historic Spanish operator) and the company Le Train.

The second batch concerns the Paris-Clermont Ferrand and Paris-Limoges-Toulouse lines (4.5 million passengers per year) known to be very complicated because of their regular malfunctions. This perhaps explains why only two candidates have submitted an application to date: SNCF Voyageurs obviously, which is the current operator, and Le Train. The new operator(s) will be known at the end of 2027 for the start of service at the end of 2029.

The contract will last 10 years. Three priorities "Le Train's offering has been designed to meet three priorities. For travelers: reliable, smooth and seamless journeys.

For the territories and their elected officials: an efficient offer, built to listen to them. For the State: a controlled public cost. Already a finalist in the TER Poitou-Charentes lot and the first Intercités lot, Le Train confirms its commitment to agreed services.

And this new offer will not be the last,” says the company. “This offer reflects our commitment and our know-how: robust operation, a service designed for travelers and the territories crossed, a controlled cost for the State, the organizing authority,” adds Alain Getraud, its CEO. The successful candidate(s) will be able to benefit from significant state investments to modernize these lines presented as “cursed”.

First in infrastructure but also and above all in rolling stock with the purchase of new Oxygène trainsets from CAF for 700 million euros. These trains, which are to replace the prehistoric and fragile Corail trains still used today, will be put into service next summer. The SNCF staff currently assigned to these lines will be transferred to the selected operator even if it is the SNCF which will then have to create a dedicated subsidiary.

New trains financed by the State Remember that Le Train also aims to launch a high-speed offer in the west of France in a still unclear horizon. To do this, he ordered 12 high-speed trainsets from the Spanish company Talgo without us knowing whether he has raised the colossal capital necessary to get started. The fact that the company does not currently operate any trains could harm it, especially on these politically sensitive lines.

Machine-translated from French