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Velvet Selects IVU.rail for New French High-Speed Operations
The independent rail operator will use IVU.rail to dispatch its Avelia Horizon fleet starting in 2028.
www.ivu.com
The rail operator Velvet is set to board the French high-speed rail market from 2028 and is relying on IVU.rail for its planning and dispatch. (Image: Velvet)
Velvet, France’s first independent high-speed transport operator, has partnered with IVU Traffic Technologies AG to deploy the IVU.rail software suite for its upcoming network launch. Scheduled to begin operations in 2028, Velvet will introduce twelve new Alstom Avelia Horizon high-speed trains connecting Paris with Bordeaux, Nantes, Angers, and Rennes. This capacity expansion is expected to provide approximately ten million additional seats annually along the highly trafficked Atlantic coast corridor.
To manage this complex deployment, Velvet will utilize IVU.rail as a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. The integrated platform unifies timetable planning, vehicle scheduling, and personnel dispatch into a single control center environment. This setup allows Velvet to maintain strict oversight of daily operations and respond rapidly to network disruptions. Rachel Picard, President and Co-Founder of Velvet, emphasized that adopting a tried-and-tested digital system early on will enable the operator to establish robust operational processes and deliver highly reliable, climate-friendly mobility tailored to modern passenger needs.
Additional Context
This section provides technological and market background not explicitly detailed in the original release.
Velvet's entry into the market marks a significant milestone in the ongoing liberalization of the French domestic passenger rail sector, a process driven by the European Union’s Fourth Railway Package. By breaking the historic monopoly of the state-owned SNCF, independent operators like Velvet are introducing fresh competition and new capacity on highly profitable TGV lines.
The choice of rolling stock—the Alstom Avelia Horizon—is highly strategic. Known commercially as the "TGV M" in France, this next-generation double-decker train offers unprecedented interior modularity and up to 20 percent energy savings compared to older TGV sets. However, maximizing the profitability of such high-capital assets requires extreme operational precision. By adopting a cloud-based SaaS platform like IVU.rail from day one, Velvet completely avoids legacy IT debt. Integrated planning ensures that rolling stock turnarounds are minimized and crew shifts are highly optimized, which is absolutely critical for an independent startup aiming to compete on frequency, cost, and reliability in a high-density rail corridor.
Edited by an industrial journalist, Lekshman Ramdas, with AI assistance.
www.ivu.com
Velvet, France’s first independent high-speed transport operator, has partnered with IVU Traffic Technologies AG to deploy the IVU.rail software suite for its upcoming network launch. Scheduled to begin operations in 2028, Velvet will introduce twelve new Alstom Avelia Horizon high-speed trains connecting Paris with Bordeaux, Nantes, Angers, and Rennes. This capacity expansion is expected to provide approximately ten million additional seats annually along the highly trafficked Atlantic coast corridor.
To manage this complex deployment, Velvet will utilize IVU.rail as a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. The integrated platform unifies timetable planning, vehicle scheduling, and personnel dispatch into a single control center environment. This setup allows Velvet to maintain strict oversight of daily operations and respond rapidly to network disruptions. Rachel Picard, President and Co-Founder of Velvet, emphasized that adopting a tried-and-tested digital system early on will enable the operator to establish robust operational processes and deliver highly reliable, climate-friendly mobility tailored to modern passenger needs.
Additional Context
This section provides technological and market background not explicitly detailed in the original release.
Velvet's entry into the market marks a significant milestone in the ongoing liberalization of the French domestic passenger rail sector, a process driven by the European Union’s Fourth Railway Package. By breaking the historic monopoly of the state-owned SNCF, independent operators like Velvet are introducing fresh competition and new capacity on highly profitable TGV lines.
The choice of rolling stock—the Alstom Avelia Horizon—is highly strategic. Known commercially as the "TGV M" in France, this next-generation double-decker train offers unprecedented interior modularity and up to 20 percent energy savings compared to older TGV sets. However, maximizing the profitability of such high-capital assets requires extreme operational precision. By adopting a cloud-based SaaS platform like IVU.rail from day one, Velvet completely avoids legacy IT debt. Integrated planning ensures that rolling stock turnarounds are minimized and crew shifts are highly optimized, which is absolutely critical for an independent startup aiming to compete on frequency, cost, and reliability in a high-density rail corridor.
Edited by an industrial journalist, Lekshman Ramdas, with AI assistance.
www.ivu.com
