FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) said on October 11 that the number of passengers using TGV services to travel between Paris and Toulouse has doubled since the opening of the Sud Europe Atlantique high-speed line on July 2.

FRANCE’s Court of Auditors has expressed concern over the fragility of French National Railways’ (SNCF) freight operations in a communication to government ministers which calls into question the “coherence and effectiveness” of French freight transport policy.

SNCF’s Gares & Connexions is embracing design thinking, a concept famed in Silicon Valley, to enhance passenger experience at its stations across France. Kevin Smith visited the division’s headquarters in Paris to see what it has achieved so far.

RÈGIONS de France, an association representing 18 French regions, says its members are ready to work with the national government to set terms and conditions for the competitive tendering of regional passenger services.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) has turned a 2016 first half loss of €159m into a profit of €119m for the first half of 2017 thanks to a 3.7% increase in first half turnover, which rose from €16bn in 2016 to €16.6bn in 2017.

Under a new strategy made public at the end of May, SNCF is hoping to attract 15 million additional passengers to its high-speed network by 2020. SNCF Voyages CEO Rachel Picard explains to Kevin Smith how the railway plans to reach this ambitious target.

Since it was launched in 1981, the TGV has become Alstom’s blue ribbon product. But what might the TGV of the Future look like? Kevin Smith visits Alstom’s headquarters in Paris to find out more about the joint government-industry programme that is underway to develop France’s next-generation high-speed train.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) officially opened two extensions to its TGV Atlantique network on July 1: TGV Océane from Tours to Bordeaux and TGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire from Le Mans to Rennes.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF Mobility) will begin commercial operation of Alstom’s Citadis Dualis tram-train on the Epinay-sur-Seine - Le Bourget line (Tram 11 express) in Ile-de-France on July 1.

FRENCH National Railways’ (SNCF) leasing subsidiary Akiem, has awarded a €20m contract to Alstom to carry out mid-life overhauls on 23 BB 36000 electric locomotives.