France, USA: Kevin Speed, a private operator, and Brightline West, a HSR line operator, plan to contract the manufacturers in the nearest future.
Kevin Speed has announced plans to contract Alstom for the production of 20 high-speed trains, as its Laurent Fourtune, its president, revealed to IRJ. In March, the company signed a track access contract for three routes, and it is expected that commercial service will commence in 2028. The new fleet will comprise single-deck trains with distributed traction. Alstom traditionally offers high-speed trains with traction equipment located in self-contained power cars at both ends, as demonstrated by the new Avelia Horizon and its distributed traction trains, the AGV, were only delivered to Italy in the late 2000s.
Rendering of a Siemens Mobility train for the Brightline West HSR line. Source: Brightline
As anticipated, Siemens Mobility has been selected as the preferred supplier of ten seven-car trains for the Brightline West HSR line in California. The vehicles featuring distributed traction will be based on the newest Velaro Novo platform delivered to the US market under the brand name American Pioneer 220. The production of trains with a design speed of 354 km/h is expected to be organised at a new US-based facility.