FRANCE: Spanish national operator RENFE has allowed its framework agreement for paths between Paris and Lyon to lapse.
The decision to hand back the paths to SNCF Réseau comes after what the operator has termed a period of ‘reflection’ on its ambition to run high speed trains to Paris. Approval of the services had been contingent on gaining approval for its fleet of Talgo S106 Avril trainsets. ‘We will re-examine the project when technical and operating conditions allow’, RENFE said, insisting it was not withdrawing from the French market. Its Madrid – Marseille and Barcelona – Lyon services will continue, and in a new move it is also to seek contracts for regional services.
According to a report in Spanish business newspaper Expansión, RENFE is expected to bid for Lot 2 PLM of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté’s TER package under the ongoing tendering of regional services across the country.
Incumbent SNCF has won seven of the 10 TER contracts awarded so far, including the regional authority’s Lot 1 Bourgogne-Ouest-Nivernais routes last year. Partners in the bid are KPMG (financial advisor) and Orange (data services). The contract is scheduled to be awarded in late 2027 and will run for 10 years from December 2029.
The main technical obstacle to authorisation of the Talgo Avril for use between Paris and Lyon is that LGV Sud Est uses the legacy TVM 300 signalling system. Although this is now being replaced by ETCS Level 2, RENFE must for now certify two train control systems, one of which will soon be obsolete. Industry insiders report the approval process as 70% complete, but the remaining steps (high speed dynamic testing and validation by safety regulator EPSF) are understood to be the most demanding.
