Occitanie has unveiled the first of 18 new double-decker regional trains in a €223 million investment intended to increase capacity on some of southern France’s busiest rail routes.
The train was presented at Narbonne station on 12 November, with regional president Carole Delga, representatives of rail operator SNCF Voyageurs and manufacturer Alstom attending. The presentation took place during a training session for drivers ahead of the trains entering passenger service.
The regional government ordered the trains in 2023 and is funding the purchase in full. It expects the new fleet to provide up to 18,000 additional passenger places a day and increase capacity by about 40 per cent on the region’s busiest lines. Those figures describe the intended future service, not capacity already available to passengers.
A phased introduction
The first commercial services are planned for December 2026, initially on weekend journeys between Toulouse and Nîmes. Daily operation on the coastal route between Narbonne and Nîmes is expected to begin in summer 2027.
The delivery programme continues beyond the initial introduction. Twelve trains are due to be delivered by March 2027, with the remaining six following in October and November 2027. The first 12 are expected to run on the coastal line in summer 2027.
The new units will join 18 similar double-decker trains already operating in Occitanie. Once the order has been delivered, the regional fleet will have 36 trains of that type. Trains replaced on the busiest routes are expected to be reassigned to other parts of the network.
The investment is a response to rising demand for regional rail travel. Passenger numbers have increased by 68 per cent since 2019. By mid-November, the network had recorded more than 100,000 passengers in a day on 23 occasions in 2026, compared with 22 such days in the whole of 2025.
Space for passengers and bicycles
Each new train has six carriages and measures 82.7 metres. There are 314 seats, including 293 fixed seats and 21 folding seats. The fixed seating includes 31 priority places in second class. Each train can accommodate up to around 500 passengers in total, a figure that should not be confused with the number of seats.
There are six spaces for bicycles, a dedicated luggage area and three toilets, one of which is accessible to people with reduced mobility. The trains also have individual power sockets and reading lights.
The layout alternates single-deck and double-deck sections. The single-deck areas are designed to make boarding easier, with level access from platforms that are 550 millimetres high. Wider doors and passageways are intended to help passengers move through the train.
The trains are assembled at Crespin in the Hauts-de-France region. Their introduction is intended to strengthen services along the Toulouse–Narbonne–Montpellier corridor as well as the coastal route towards Nîmes and Perpignan, where demand has grown.
Maintenance for a larger fleet
The expansion also requires space to maintain the trains. Occitanie is planning a new rail maintenance centre at Colombiers, near Béziers, to support the larger regional fleet. The facility is intended to carry out heavy maintenance on the new double-decker trains and is projected to enter service at the end of 2028.
It will complement existing workshops in Toulouse, Nîmes, Tarbes and Perpignan. The Toulouse and Nîmes sites are already at capacity, while further investment is planned at the existing facilities.
For passengers, the full effect will depend on the gradual delivery of the trains and their entry into service. The December weekend journeys mark the first stage; the planned daily coastal operation follows later.
