Renfe to open a subsidiary in France
Posted: 3 February 2023 | Elliot Robinson (Editorial Assistant - Global Railway Review) | 1 comment
Renfe have announced the approval of plans to open a subsidiary in France and expand their presence in the market.
Credit: Renfe
Renfe have announced that its Board of Directors have agreed to submit to the Ministry of Finance and Public Function, through MITMA, the proposal to create a subsidiary in France. This new subsidiary will allow Renfe to sign contracts, issue invoices, hire staff, and offer market services (ticket sales) in France.
This will allow the company to continue expanding its high-speed activity in the corridors with the highest density and economic interest for the company, as well as opting for the provision of public services.
The new subsidiary reflects Renfe’s belief in the French market and will to remain in the long term, this also being a fundamental piece in its Strategic Plan for international expansion to become a reference operator, through the provision of quality services, safety and efficiency.
The Spanish company is also continuing to work on obtaining the Safety Certificate to operate throughout France (as SNCF-Ouigo already has to operate in Spain). Currently, Renfe has already obtained the certificates to operate on the Barcelona-Lyon and Madrid-Barcelona-Marseille lines.
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Renfe’s French roadmap
Once the training of the train drivers is completed and all the necessary qualifications to operate these lines are obtained, Renfe will define the transport plan, which will foreseeably be progressive until reaching 28 weekly circulations.
On January 16, the tests of its AVE trains that will circulate between Spain and France began. The tests consist of reproducing the characteristics of the commercial service, to demonstrate the operational solvency.
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After Trenitalia, it seems that RENFE’s turn to operate on the French HST lines will come, albeit with a little delay. Better late than never!
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