"I've never seen a railway project move forward so quickly": Velvet launches an attack on the SNCF on the Atlantic coast

Velvet: the name will soon be familiar to Parisians and Bordeaux residents eager to take the train. It's the commercial name unveiled this Tuesday by a future competitor to SNCF's TGV trains . Previously known as Proxima, the operator will first launch on the Paris-Bordeaux line starting in 2028. "It's a short, easy-to-remember word," explains Rachel Picard, president and co-founder of Velvet. "The V obviously evokes speed. The sounds bring to mind velvet and softness. The colors green and lilac have never been seen before in the railway industry."

Competition has been open on high-speed lines for several years. Today, it exists via the Italian Trenitalia , between Paris, Lyon and Marseille, and the Spanish Renfe, for the Madrid-Marseille and Barcelona-Lyon routes. "We are the first 100% French independent company," says Rachel Picard. For its part, Velvet is looking towards the Atlantic coast. After Paris-Bordeaux...