Traveling to France for three euros will soon be possible. Railway start-up Kevin Speed enters into agreement with SNCF Réseau Thursday February 29, 2024 to launch its low-cost trains between Paris, Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg from 2028. The young company has thus ordered 20 TGVs, providing for a gradual reduction in prices as customers purchase tickets. Laurent Fourtune, president of Kevin Speed, chanted: “The more we travel, the less we pay”reports Le Figaro. The flagship offer, called “Illisto”, begins at three euros per 100 km during off-peak hours for journeys to Strasbourg and Lille, and from five euros to Lyon. Kevin Speed aims to operate up to 16 daily passages in each direction, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., on three major lines linking Paris to Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg. The stations located on the route will also be served by Kévin Speed trains.
A 30% reduction in greenhouse gases
The start-up also estimated the necessary investments of one billion euros for trains, future workshops and driver training. The first fundraising of four million euros has already been successfully completed. Laurent Fourtune thus hopes complete the fundraising by this summer. To achieve its objectives, 20 new TGV train sets specially designed by Alstom were therefore ordered by the start-up. But it is of course on the prices that Kevin Speed counts stand out from competition. To do this, the company wishes to create a “virtuous economic model”. “It takes money to buy them new. We must first earn this money from our customers by offering them good service“detailed Kévin Speed, reports Actu.fr. Not to be outdone, the company is also counting on the preservation of the environment in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. The first trainset is scheduled for testing in 2026, marking the start of a new era in the French railway landscape.