Ouigo in the context of "National Railway Company of Belgium"

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⭐ Core Definition: Ouigo

Ouigo (French pronunciation: [wiˈɡo]) is a low-cost service range of both conventional and high-speed trains run by SNCF in France, and also to Belgium in cooperation with NMBS/SNCB. The literal translation of Ouigo from French to English is "yes go"; the name is also a play on words with the English homonym "we go." It is composed of two different services: Ouigo Grande Vitesse, which is a brand of SNCF operating high-speed trains; and Ouigo Vitesse Classique, a brand under which Oslo, a subsidiary of SNCF, operates conventional speed trains.

Ouigo was established in 2013 to offer budget long-distance services on the core routes of the French railway network. The first train ran on 2 April 2013. Ouigo rolling stock was configured in a 'no-frills' arrangement, with minimal onboard amenities and a single class of seating. It was intended that passengers seeking a higher-level service would continue to use SNCF's regular high-speed trains since rebranded as TGV inOui. Ouigo quickly proved popular with the travelling public, selling in excess of 2.5 million tickets during its first year of operation, and was rapidly expanded to cover more stations and regions.

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Ouigo in the context of High-speed rail in France

France has a large network of high-speed rail lines. As of June 2021, the French high-speed rail network comprises 2,800 km (1,740 mi) of tracks, making it one of the largest in Europe and the world. As of early 2023, new lines are being constructed or planned. The first French high-speed railway, the LGV Sud-Est, linking the suburbs of Paris and Lyon, opened in 1981.

In addition to serving destinations across France, the high-speed rail system is also connected to the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The SNCF, France's state-owned rail company, operates both a premium service (TGV inOui) and a budget service (Ouigo). The French national high-speed rail network follows the spoke-and-hub model, centered on Paris. Besides its main operator, the SNCF, it is also used by Eurostar, Thalys, Deutsche Bahn, Trenitalia France, RENFE, and the Swiss Federal Railways.

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Ouigo in the context of Ouigo España

Ouigo España is an open-access operator of high-speed railway services in Spain. It is a subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs, the French national railway company, and uses its trademark Ouigo.

Ouigo España was set up in 13 December 2018 and was highly structured around SNCF's existing Ouigo domestic services in France. It competes with several other high speed operators in the Spanish market, such as the Spanish state-owned railway company Renfe's Avlo service and the open-access operator Iryo. Ouigo España had planned to launch services in December 2020, however, this was delayed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During May 2021, the initial service between Madrid and Barcelona was launched; within six months, one million passengers had reportedly travelled onboard its trains.

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