Story perspectives

Velvet wins France license, plans 2028 high-speed service

9/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

Velvet start-up secured an initial licence to operate high-speed rail services in France.
Velvet raised €1 billion from Antin Infrastructure Partners to fund its launch.
Velvet will purchase twelve Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck trainsets for its network.
Services are scheduled to begin in 2028 on Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Nantes and Paris-Angers routes.
Velvet still needs safety certification from France’s rail regulator before revenue service can start.

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Story summary

Velvet start-up secured an initial licence to operate high-speed rail services in France.
Velvet raised €1 billion from Antin Infrastructure Partners to fund its launch.
Velvet will purchase twelve Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck trainsets for its network.
Services are scheduled to begin in 2028 on Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Nantes and Paris-Angers routes.
Velvet still needs safety certification from France’s rail regulator before revenue service can start.