New-generation Alstom TGV enters commercial service

Alstom has announced that a new-generation TGV, known locally as TGV M, has entered into service in France. Operated by SNCF, the unit is the first train to enter service on Alstom’s Avelia Horizon very high-speed platform. Alstom said the inaugural passenger journey for the TGV M – unit No. 1011 – between Paris and Marseille marked the latest milestone in its 45-year high-speed rail journey. “The entry into service of the new-generation TGV is a new demonstration of Alstom’s global leadership in high-speed rail. As the first train to enter service based on our Avelia Horizon platform, it builds on 45 years of experience and operational knowledge gained around the world. It is also the result of many years of close cooperation with SNCF and of the contribution of thousands of people across Alstom, our partners and our wider industrial ecosystem. I would like to thank all the teams who made this collective achievement possible,” said Martin Sion, Chief Executive Officer at Alstom. The first TGV M train (35081) left Paris Gare de Lyon at 09:56 CET and arrived at Marseille Saint-Charles at 13:05. The return trip (35080) departed Marseille at 14:59. The first six TGV M trains will be deployed on the Paris–Marseille route, initially with one return journey a day, before services are gradually increased. A new benchmark for very high-speed rail Alstom said the Horizon had been developed to meet the changing priorities of high-speed operators worldwide: increasing capacity, reducing energy consumption, optimising lifecycle costs and enhancing the passenger experience. The train’s architecture has been completely redesigned, drawing on Alstom’s experience across successive generations of high-speed trains. It has been conceived as an integrated system, and incorporates more than 400 innovations for which patent applications have been filed. Shorter power cars make room for an additional passenger coach within the same train length, creating 20 per cent more seating capacity than the previous generation, and accomodating up to 740 passengers. The train also consumes 20 per cent less energy than the previous generation, supported by improved aerodynamics, reduced weight and more efficient traction systems. At maximum capacity, Alstom said this represented a 32 per cent reduction in energy consumption per passenger-kilometre. Predictive maintenance systems, fewer components and improved accessibility have been designed to increase fleet availability and reduce maintenance costs by more than 30 per cent compared with the previous generation. Alstom added that scalable digital architecture allowed new technologies and passenger services to be integrated throughout its operating life. “Avelia Horizon represents the most significant evolution in very high-speed train architecture in more than 30 years. Its innovation lies in the complete redesign of the train’s architecture. The platform allows operators to carry more passengers within the same train length with high level of comfort, while reducing energy consumption and optimising maintenance throughout the lifecycle,” said Benjamin Fitoussi, President Rolling Stock and Components at Alstom. Alstom said the new generation TGV’s entry into service provided the first operational reference for Avelia Horizon. Designed as a flexible and scalable platform, Avelia Horizon can be adapted to the operational, regulatory and passenger requirements of different customers and markets. The train builder said its modular architecture meant operators could tailor capacity, interior layout, passenger services and technical configuration to their specific needs. As the only double-deck very high-speed platform currently available on the market, it also enables operators to increase capacity within an existing train length and width. Alstom added that the platform was designed to support high-capacity domestic services, cross-border connections and international corridors.