A year after unveiling the exterior design of its future TGV Mthe SNCF has just presented the design of 1st and 2nd class seats which will equip the trains delivered by the group Alstom from 2025. " The design of the seats and lamps will be emblematic marker. They are the fruit of a desire to offer the best on-board experience "announced Christophe Fanichetthe CEO of SNCF Voyageurs. Gone, in fact, is the very square and serious look of the 1st class seats of the TGV Océane dating from 2016. Make way for a refined designwith seats that seem to levitate. Undoubtedly the touch ofJapanese design agency Nendo which, for the occasion, is associated with the architectural firm Arepthe designer of numerous stations in France for the railway company. However, the project will have required five years of workThe call for tenders was issued as soon as 2018.
Wider seats in 1st and further apart in 2nd
Le comfort was obviously at the heart of the design team's concerns, with seating that complies with securityoffering useful functions to different types of passenger, adapting to all body types and journey times. The SNCF is also promising softer seats, twice as soft as today's, to provide "a more comfortable travel experience". a softer seat" . The trains will then be treated in the form of layers of colour, with darker colours on the floor and lighter colours on the ceiling. In 2nd grade, the seats will feature a shade of blue natural wool, symbolising " reflections in the water "According to the agencies commissioned, these range from red to rosé in 1st class. For new productsthis seat will be 5 cm wider compared with the previous generation, with a more generous shelf 5 cm in length and a tilt also announced as more important. In Seconde, the major gain was made in the legs, with a 5 cm extra spacing between seats. A mini-shelf for a mobile phone has also been added. The headrest will be height-adjustable in both classrooms, which will be equipped with a swivel reading light, electrical sockets and, in 1ère, a USB port. Thanks to their new design, the seats will be able to accommodate cabin baggage underneath, as on aircraft. Last but not least, the two agencies have reworked the lamp, now all round and yellow, which will equip the square seats as well as those opposite in 1st class.
Interchangeable seats for different seasons
As a reminder, the SNCF ordered 115 trainsets of these Higher-capacity TGVs from 20%equipped with 740 seatswhich is due for delivery in 2025. A big innovation for SNCF: the carriages will be modular so that they can be easily and quickly converted from one class to another in the workshop to suit travel periods and markets, as some of the TGV M trains will be used on international routes (Spain, Italy, etc.). Called upon to last 30 yearsFinally, according to the carrier's specifications, these seats are more durable, as they can be recycled at the end of their life (90%).
