SNCF Voyageurs wins France’s first tendered inter-city operating contract

FRANCE: Incumbent SNCF Voyageurs has beaten Spain’s RENFE and high speed start-up Le Train to win the government’s first tendered contract for the operation of Intercités services on the conventional rail network.

The contract announced on January 28 runs for 10 years from December 2026. It covers the Nantes – Lyon and Nantes – Bordeaux routes, which share a depot in Nantes.

A first attempt at tendering in 2019 was cancelled after the process was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and SNCF Voyageurs was the only bidde…