Will it roll? Will it run? Uncertainty once again seems to be hanging over the start of operations for the first four TGV M trains, scheduled for 1 July. Rumours of yet another postponement have been circulating for several weeks. The specialist website City, Rail & Transport (VRT) went even further last Friday, announcing that this so-called "TGV of the future", built by Alstom, would once again encounter setbacks during its trials. And he pointed to " reliability problems with the TCMS, the train control and management system, an essential element for controlling and supervising the train's various sub-systems (doors, brakes, air conditioning, on-board-ground communication, etc.) ".
According to VRTThis new delay was announced on 13 March at an extraordinary works council meeting at Alstom's Aytré site in La Rochelle, where part of the construction of these trains is taking place. In view of the technical modifications that need to be made, the first TGVs to be approved could not start operating until 15 August. This could mean major commercial losses for SNCF at the height of the summer season.
SNCF denies any operating delays
When contacted by Voyages d'Affaires, the SNCF denied that the TGV M would be put into service any time soon. SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom are continuing their efforts to meet the target of commercial service on 1 July. Meetings are being held constantly between management to review progress. ". Tests on the first four pre-series trainsets began at the end of 2022 to validate all the elements of this 5th generation TGV, which is intended to be revolutionary, with more capacity (20%), 9 cars instead of 8, and lower energy consumption (20%).
Heralded as "the TGV of the future", the TGV M has become a veritable miasma. It was initially due to start carrying its first passengers at the end of 2023, then at the time of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it was once announced for the end of 2025... These successive delays are linked to the numerous innovations on this train, and in particular to the rapid ageing of certain parts. SNCF, which is faced with a shortage of offers, is impatiently awaiting the launch of these 4 trains on 1 July, to start with on the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean and Paris-Milan routes, hoping then to have 8 trainsets in September and 13 by the end of 2026.
SNCF Voyageurs has ordered 160 units to date.
Faced with competition from Trenitalia, Renfe and future rivals (Velvel, Le Train...), SNCF Voyageurs wants to make this train a strategic asset at the heart of its commercial development strategy in France and Europe. No fewer than 160 TGV M trains have been ordered, including 30 for its Eurostar subsidiary and 15 others to break into the Italian market with its low-cost Ouigo brand.
Faced with these delivery delays on the part of Alstom, SNCF has taken drastic measures. No TGVs have been taken out of service for many months, and the capacity of TGVs reaching mid-life has been increased. The Group has even earmarked €600 million to extend the lifespan of almost a hundred TGV trainsets from 2 to 15 years. As a result, the Group expects to have 17,700 additional seats in 2027 and 22,100 in 2028, the equivalent of 52 TGV trainsets.
" Over this period, SNCF will preserve 15% of the current TGV offer. This plan, coupled with the gradual delivery of TGV M trains, will enable us to gradually increase the number of seats available. "This is what Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, said last February when he presented the O2D (Opération d'Obsolescence Déprogrammée) programme. For this to happen, Alstom will have to meet its delivery schedule.
