The TGV M, SNCF's future strategic asset

Clément Beaune, the French Transport Minister, came in person to witness the arrival of the TGV M at the Paris-Charenton Technicentre, on a maintenance track modified to accommodate this extraordinary train. This presentation comes at a time when the future TGV begins its trials on the national network following those carried out in the Czech Republic. Although the TGV has just entered the world of high-speed trains by exceeding 320 kph, we will have to wait until 2025 to see its commercial launch on the South-East network, between Paris and Marseille, and then internationally, as far as Milan (see box).

115 trains delivered over 10 years

With deployment scheduled over ten years, SNCF has ordered 115 trainsets for this so-called "TGV of the future" at a cost of 3.5 billion euros. " It will be a TGV with zero breakdowns which will provide the highest level of reliabilitysays SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou. It will also be greener, with 20% less fuel consumption than the current generation, and 20% more capacity. ". With its nine carriages, each train will be able to accommodate 720 passengers, compared with 630 today and 350 for the first TGV in 1981.

The head of the rail group also assured that this train will be " a revolution "in terms of on-board comfort with more room for travellersThese include more light thanks to enlarged windows, wider spaces for luggage and bicycles, and maximum modularity to adapt to different uses. " With more capacity and greater flexibility to respond to different markets and increased passenger traffic, the TGV M will be a strategic asset in the face of competition. "he adds. And he adds: " This train is a weapon of conquest and a symbol of the SNCF group's good economic health. It should generate enough cash flow to enable us to invest in this new TGV fleet, in adapting our Technicentres and also in the rail network. ".

This mega-order would finally be a guarantee of more moderate prices, responding to criticism on this point. And to the wishes of the Minister who declared: " The French want more affordable prices and that means more trains! While the TGV is the driving force behind our rail system, we are not going to invest solely in the TGV, but on all lines, thanks to our 100 billion euro plan ".