Future TGV, renovated Ouigo, luxury trains… What's new for your rail travel in 2025?

From the direct TGV between Paris and Berlin to the Ouigo between Paris and Brussels, including the new Intercités Lyon-Nancy… The end of 2024 brought its share of new features to the French and European rails. These line openings reflect the French's unfailing enthusiasm for the train. For the Christmas school holidays, the SNCF indicates that it has sold nearly five million tickets. The crowning achievement of a year which should once again break attendance records.

In France as in Europe, 2025 promises to be particularly rich in new developments on the rails. Arrival of the TGV M, renovation of the Ouigo trains, rise of SNCF competitors… Review of what will change for your train travel this year.

Renovated Ouigo trains…

Commissioned in 2013, the Ouigo trains are getting a makeover. In January, the first renovated train should be put into circulation. The new interior layout provides more comfortable and more numerous seats (653 compared to 634), an electrical outlet at each seat, eight spaces for bicycles per train and even a Relaxation Area in the middle of the train.

In addition to the renovation of current equipment, the Ouigo fleet will accommodate 12 additional trains between 2025 and 2027, bringing their total number to 50. By increasing its capacities, the low-cost subsidiary of the SNCF is targeting 33 million annual customers in 2027 .

…which will serve new destinations

At the same time, Ouigo continues to expand its network. But you will have to reach the end of the year to take advantage of the new services. From December 2025, the company will connect Paris to the Basque Country with daily service to the stations of Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye.

Also from December, a third daily round trip by classic Ouigo Train will be added between Paris and Rennes (around 4 hours of travel for at least €10). New connections could be confirmed during the year, such as a Paris-Lille line and the strengthening of the Paris-Strasbourg line.

Trenitalia launches on the Paris-Marseille axis

Voted best European railway company according to a ranking by the NGO Transport and Environment, Trenitalia has just obtained authorization to launch a connection between Paris and Marseille. After the Paris-Lyon which it has been operating since 2021, the Italian operator plans to operate two daily round trips between the capital and the Marseille city from this summer. Details of the new offer (frequencies, times, prices, etc.) should be revealed at the end of January.

Furthermore, its connection between France and Italy, interrupted since the summer of 2023 following a landslide in Maurienne, should be able to resume in the spring, with the end of the work and the reopening of the railway being confirmed for March. .

Renfe resurrects the Toulouse-Barcelona line

In 2013, SNCF launched a high-speed connection between Toulouse and Barcelona, ​​before canceling it in 2019 due to lack of profitability. Its competitor Renfe is preparing to resurrect it. The Spanish company, which already operates the Lyon-Barcelona and Marseille-Madrid lines, plans to once again connect Occitania to Catalonia from “second quarter 2025» with its AVE, Spanish equivalents of TGVs. The daily round trip will serve Carcassonne, Perpignan, Figueras and Girona.

«Initially, this train will run on a seasonal basis […] until mid-September. It is possible to expand its operation on an annual basis at a later date, in order to also meet the demand of business travelers», Underlines Renfe.

The future TGV expected for the summer holidays

This summer, some travelers will return to their vacation spot aboard the TGV M… unless a new postponement is announced. Expected for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the new generation of TGV designed by Alstom should finally enter commercial service this summer, first on the South-East axis.

Ordered in 115 units (100 for the domestic network and 15 for abroad), the TGV M (“M” for “modular”) presents numerous innovations, such as the possibility of adding or removing a car or driving on several tens of kilometers in the event of a power outage. A little more patience.

A night train from Brussels to Venice

Since 2022, European Sleeper has operated a nighttime connection between Brussels and Prague via Amsterdam and Berlin. The young company will launch a seasonal night train between Brussels and Venice this winter. It will run twice a week from February 5 to March 16.

Before admiring the lagoon of the City of the Doges, you will have to be patient. The entire journey, which serves five countries and includes a stop in Cologne, Munich and Innsbruck, still takes 19 hours. Price of the trip? From €99 in berth compartment. European Sleeper is working on another project: a night connection between Amsterdam and Barcelona expected for 2026.

Baltic countries better connected

Until now, timetables did not allow crossing the three Baltic countries by train on the same day. The launch in December 2023 of a line between Vilnius and Riga has changed nothing. The railway companies of Estonia (Elron), Latvia (Vivi) and Lithuania (LTG Link) have agreed to synchronize their timetables and connections.

Thus, from January 6, 2025, it will be possible to connect Tallinn to Vilnius entirely by train. Still allow a 10.5 hour journey for around fifty euros. Tickets must be purchased separately on the websites of each company.

A combined Eurostar + plane ticket

From the first half of 2025, it will be possible to book a single ticket combining train and plane thanks to a partnership between Eurostar and the airline alliance SkyTeam (which notably includes Air France, KLM and Delta Air Lines).

With this new service, a passenger arriving from New York will be able, for example, to land at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and continue their journey to the British or Belgian capital not by medium-haul but aboard a Eurostar, without having to increase reservations.

A new luxury train in England

Known for its luxury trains around the world, including the Venice Simplon Orient-Expressthe Belmond group plans to circulate the Britannic Explorer a Belmond Train from July. Departing from London, it will operate three routes in Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales.

During the day, passengers will have the opportunity to take part in guided excursions to discover each destination, while enjoying, on the rails, a Victorian-inspired bar and a spa. Price of this rail cruise: from €13,300 for a double cabin, with excursions, meals, wine and alcoholic drinks on board included.

IN VIDEO – Images of the “TGV of the future” revealed by SNCF