It is reported that Arafer (the French regulator) has received an application from Flixtrain for, in effect, open access services. It's not on their website (nor Flixtrain's), though an earlier one from thello is - that was for an international service (Paris-Milan high-speed), so less of a new idea.
The new services are not high-speed - so would compete with Intercités - and mostly use the secondary Paris stations of Bercy and Austerlitz. From
Railway Gazette:
FRANCE: FlixMobility GmbH has lodged an application with rail regulator Arafer to launch five inter-city routes from January 1 2021.
The FlixTrain-branded services would cover four domestic routes as well as one international route.
The proposed services are seven return trains per day between Paris Nord and Brussels Nord via St Quentin, and two return journeys per day between Paris Austerlitz and Bordeaux St-Jean via Les Aubrais-Orléans and Angoulême. Five daily train pairs are envisaged between Paris Bercy and Lyon Perrache via Dijon. Twice daily trains between Paris Bercy and Toulouse Matabiau via Limoges are also planned, as well as one overnight service in each direction between Paris Bercy and Nice Ville via Marseille Blancarde.
The application says that the trains are planned to be hauled formations using Class BB36000 multi-system locomotives or equivalent, with a capacity of between 400 and 1 000 passengers per train. FlixTrain is still in the process of receiving its operating licence and safety certificate, Arafer says.
FlixMobility, the parent of long-distance coach brand Flixbus, already runs three open access services in Germany. These are delivered in partnership with private operators Leo Express and Bahn Touristik Express.
So the destinations are Brussels, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille - that one overnight!
The next step is for the relevant authorities, the regions, to consider the economic effects on existing services. I can't help thinking that might get a wee bit political.
