It's a colossal investment for the company with green buses. Flix, the German group known for its Flixbus service, has just invested €2.4 billion to put 65 TGV trains on the rails in Germany, and then in the rest of Europe. "We are aiming for a high-frequency network in Germany and we also plan to offer FlixTrain in other countries," the group announced in a press release announcing this acceleration of its FlixTrain branch.
To have such a large investment capacity, Flix has pooled its savings made in its activities, and in particular for the year 2023 when its EBITDA reached 104 million euros for two billion euros of sales. The orders were made official this Tuesday, and concern both German locomotives ordered from Siemens and Spanish cars ordered from Talgo.
FlixTrain targets OuiGo, which is accelerating in France
Obviously, the SNCF is under threat. But the announcement of FlixTrain's arrival is also, and above all, a shock to the Ouigo service, SNCF's more accessible offering, which has allowed it to hold its own against the opening of the market and the arrival of Trenitalia between Paris and Lyon. FlixTrain, FlixBus's rail service, should still focus on Germany initially, a promising market since it could grow by 45% by 2030 compared to 2021.
The European Union should still allow us to aim even higher, especially since there will be something for everyone. The players will share a pie with an estimated annual growth of 4 to 5% per year. It already represented 27 billion euros in 2023. Last month, OuiGo presented a project for a new, more comfortable train and set its sights on a 30% increase in its market share by 2030.
To increase its passenger numbers, OuiGo also announced the acquisition of 12 additional new trains between the end of 2025 and 2027, with 653 seats available per train, an increase from the 644 seats available today. These additional trains will be installed to strengthen the service for the southwest, and particularly the Basque Country (Paris-Dax-Côte Basque line). Additional services are also expected on the highly sought-after line between Montpellier and Paris via Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport (to avoid Part-Dieu in particular).
In 2027, OuiGo plans to increase its number of stations served from 60 to 75. A way to establish its position in France, while waiting for the arrival of competitors like Flix and its FlixTrain.
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