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NATIONAL train company the SNCF is preparing to branch into coaches, as a counterattack to this summer’s launch of Eurolines in France.

Called “Speed”, the project aims at creating a network of long-distance coaches, similar to that offered by Eurolines. The latter is a multinational brand, owned in France by Véolia and by National Express in the UK.

A marketing team at the SNCF’s headquarters is understood to be planning the new service, which would link major European and French cities. They are working together with colleagues from Keolis, an SNCF subsidiary.

Coaches take longer than TGVs, but their low price can make them attractive, especially where people could not get advance ticket deals on trains.

However, SNCF must compete with Eurolines while avoiding harming its own train services. Experts say it will do it by making sure they run at complementary times and on very busy routes.

Photo: Antony McAulay - Fotolia