The king of long-distance coaches no longer wants to settle for asphalt. Flix is now going all out on rail with a massive investment plan: €2.4 billion to develop FlixTrain, its rail branch. The program includes 65 brand-new trains, with cars from Talgo (Spain) and locomotives from Siemens (Germany). The first deliveries will be 30 trains for just over €1 billion, with the rest to come later.
Trains, billions, and a clear road
These new-generation TGVs are designed to run throughout Europe. They will initially be deployed in Germany, but are already compatible with other networks: Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Each train will be equipped with onboard technology, with sensors capable of sending several gigabytes of data each day to a cloud platform. The goal: to anticipate breakdowns and reduce downtime at the depot. A good way to keep trains moving, and customers on board.
On the passenger side, Flix promises modern comfort, accessibility for all, and a fare offering that's true to its DNA: simple, no-nonsense, and affordable. After establishing itself in low-cost buses, the group wants to replicate the same recipe on the rails, in a market that's already worth €27 billion and growing by 4 to 5% per year. In Germany, demand for fast trains could climb by 45% by 2030. In short, there's room to try something new.
Faced with this growing German power, SNCF isn't sitting idly by. Ouigo, its low-cost brand, plans to increase production: 12 new trains between 2025 and 2027, with more than 650 seats each. These trains will strengthen the offer to the southwest, notably the Paris–Dax–Basque Coast line, and the one between Montpellier and Paris (via Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport).
Ouigo also wants to cover more territory, with 75 stations served by 2027 compared to 60 today. And aims to gain 30% additional market share by the end of the decade.
But Flix arrives with solid arguments: a proven economic model, a youthful image, and already well-established growth. In 2024, FlixTrain expanded its network by 40% and attracted more passengers. And this is just the beginning, according to its boss André Schwämmlein: "We want to expand our market share, but also grow the entire market."
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