Kevin Speed
| Dates of operation | 2028 (expected)– |
|---|---|
| Website | www |
Kevin Speed is a start-up French railway company planning to operate open-access high-speed commuter services by 2028. Envisioned services would link Paris to Lille, Strasbourg, and Lyon, stopping at all intermediate stations on the high-speed line, every hour from morning to late evening.[1] Whilst being structured as a simplified joint-stock company (SAS, Société par actions simplifiée), it intends to implement employee stock ownership, with employees owning shares in the company.[2]
History
In October 2022, Kevin Speed announced it planned to apply for 30-year track access rights from the government and French rail infrastructure manager SNCF Network, the 30-year duration of the rights matching the lifespan of the rolling stock they intended to acquire. The company estimated it would pay €1bn per year in track access charges. It also announced details about a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it had signed to acquire rolling stock for its services.[3]
In February 2024, Kevin Speed signed an agreement with SNCF Réseau for slots on high-speed lines between Paris and Lille, Strasbourg, and Lyon. Testing is expected to begin in 2026, before commercial service in 2028.[1]
Services
Kevin Speed aims to offer low-cost high-speed rail services targeted at commuters travelling to and from major French cities, with services slated to serve smaller regional destinations.[2] The service would be named ilisto, shortened from illico presto.[4]
Service would begin in December 2028, on 3 routes, with a train every hour between 6am and 12am:
- Paris Nord - TGV Haute-Picardie - Lille-Flandres[5]
- Paris Est - Champagne-Ardenne TGV - Meuse TGV - Lorraine TGV - Strasbourg-Ville[6]
- Paris Lyon - Le Creusot TGV - Mâcon-Loché TGV - Lyon-Part-Dieu[7]
To offer low prices, it plans to operate services with high-density seating and shorter trains, but with higher frequency - tentatively six round trips a day, with tight turnarounds at termini and each driver covering two round trips. There would be no seat reservations - fares would be booked through an app and would fluctuate based on demand.[3] Off-peak tickets would start at €3 per 100 km on Paris-Lille and Paris-Strasbourg lines, and at €5 per 100 km on Paris-Lyon line.[4] As of 2023, SNCF Voyageurs charges on average €16 per 100 km for a 2nd class TGV inOui ticket on these lines.[8]
Apart from booking fares, the app would also allow passengers to provide feedback to the company to help improve services and also report problems with services. The app is also planned to have a "community" feature which would tentatively allow passengers to communicate with each other to facilitate activities such as last-mile car sharing.[3]
The company believes that providing low fares and quality service will allow it to earn revenue that will allow it to finance new rolling stock.[2]
Rolling stock
The company is set to buy 20 new high-speed trainsets from Alstom.[1] As part of the company's abovementioned business model, trains would have 3-2 high-density seating, and would be shorter than existing TGV trains operated by SNCF. The company mentioned it had explored possible interior options with design company Neomind in September 2022.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Kevin Speed to launch three new high-speed lines in France". RailTech.com. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "About". www.kevin-rail.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Haydock, David (2022-10-25). "Kevin Speed proposes low-cost high-speed commuter services in France". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Kevin Speed, cette startup qui vient défier la SNCF avec des TGV low cost". La Tribune (in français). 1 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ↑ "Notification n° 2024-001" (PDF). Autorité de régulation des transports. 4 March 2024.
- ↑ "Notification n° 2024-003" (PDF). Autorité de régulation des transports. 4 March 2024.
- ↑ "Notification n° 2024-002" (PDF). Autorité de régulation des transports. 4 March 2024.
- ↑ "Tarifs SNCF au kilomètre (2023) - Moins c'est long, plus c'est cher - Actualité - UFC-Que Choisir". www.quechoisir.org (in français). 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
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