A Eurostar train enters the Channel Tunnel at Coquelles, northern France, on April 4, 2025. SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP
Executives at SNCF, France's national railway company, like to repeat that "Europe is the playing field for high-speed rail." It's a highly profitable sector in which the French rail operator claims "a 43% market share," CEO of SNCF Voyageurs Christophe Fanichet said on Friday, October 17. He was presenting a new structure for the company's passenger division, aimed at strengthening its hand in an "increasingly international rail market," in the words of Fanichet.
SNCF is determined to grow that market share just as its longtime monopoly faces mounting pressure. Its strategy hinges on an aggressive push into international routes, especially those using the Channel Tunnel, where roughly half a dozen potential rivals are eyeing strong demand and untapped capacity.
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