Velvet Wins French Operating Licence, Clearing First Hurdle to Challenge SNCF From 2028

Velvet has obtained its railway undertaking licence from France's Directorate-General for Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility (DGITM), the start-up announced on September 1 — the first major regulatory approval on its path to launching high-speed services between Paris and western France in 2028.

The licence allows Velvet to move ahead with preparations for commercial operations, including applying for train paths, arranging access to infrastructure and developing operating procedures. The company says work is already underway on its Safety Management System, with the next major regulatory step being a Single Safety Certificate from the French safety authority.

"The railway undertaking licence is an important step: it allows us to go further in preparing our trains, our teams and our procedures," said co-founder and President Rachel Picard.

Velvet has ordered 12 Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck trainsets — the same platform as SNCF's next-generation TGV M. The first was unveiled at Alstom's La Rochelle site in April and is undergoing static testing. From 2028 the company plans direct services from Paris-Montparnasse to Bordeaux, Nantes, Angers and Rennes, adding around 10 million seats a year on Atlantic corridors it argues are underserved.

Founded in 2022 as Proxima by former SNCF Voyages director Picard and Alpha Trains founder Tim Jackson, and backed by around €1bn from Antin Infrastructure Partners, Velvet could become the first privately funded French operator to take on SNCF in domestic high speed. Its progress contrasts with rivals in the newly liberalised market: Kevin Speed has pushed its launch back to 2030, while Le Train — licensed since 2022 — is still awaiting certification of its Talgo Avril fleet.