It's parade time for the SNCF which is presenting its future rolling stock. After the TGV M for its offer Inoui and the first relooking of a long series of Ouigo for its low-cost trains, the railway company has unveiled its new future Intercity train named "Oxygène the first units of which will be commissioned in 2027 on the Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse (POLT), Paris-Clermont-Ferrand, then from 2028 on Bordeaux-Marseille. The investment is being made by the French government, which will invest €715 million in the purchase of 28 trainsets for the POLT and Paris-Clermont-Ferrand lines, followed by €650 million for the 22 trains destined for the Bordeaux-Marseille line. These trainsets, which will replace the old Coral will be built at Reichshoffen in a former Alstom plant in Alsace, bought four years ago by the Spanish group CAF. CAF will lead tests of the Oxygène train until July 2026 in order to obtain certification for the movement of these new generation Intercités trains which will be operated by SNCF Voyageurs on behalf of the State.
More comfortable trains with greater capacity
Designed for long lines, these trainsets Oxygen will be able to carry more passengers, with 317 seats in 2nd class and 103 in 1st class, giving a total of 840 seats for a double train. They will also offer new levels of comfort and services, with ergonomic seats that can be adjusted electrically in 1st class or manually in 2nd class, an individual power socket and USB port, a footrest, tables and a reading light.
Wifi will also be available on board these trains, which will also offer real-time passenger information, video surveillance for greater safety and ten spaces for two-wheelers equipped with sockets for recharging electric bikes. As with the TGV M, which has reserved a specific area for people with reduced mobility, this new equipment will, for the first time on Intercités, allow independent access for PRMs from the platforms in a dedicated carriage.
More than €2.5 billion to renovate the railways
"The introduction of this modern, more comfortable equipment should meet the expectations of the people living in the areas served by these lines, which are regularly subject to delays, operating incidents and train cancellations. As a reminder, hundreds of angry users and elected representatives of the POLT and Paris-Clermont-Ferrand lines went up to Paris just a few days ago to demonstrate. Acknowledging that the service " is not the height" Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot has asked SNCF for a commercial gesture. The latter decided to sell in June 10,000 tickets at 19 euroswill apply a 10% reduction on season tickets and will reimburse delays of more than... 3 hours more advantageously!
The SNCF has also positioned a train in Nevers to come to the rescue of any trains that break down in open country. When it does not break down itself as was the case on 1 March near Montargis. SNCF Réseaux, the French government and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (for the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand line) have committed to financing major track renovation works worth a total of €2.5 billion, to ensure that the new trains finally arrive on time, and even to reduce journey times by increasing train speed. Begun in 2018, this work is expected to take several more years, however, and will cause disruption on certain sections of the lines.
