New more-efficient tgvs on the way

NEXT-GENERATION TRAIN WILL USE 50% LESS ENERGY AND CARRY 25% MORE PASSENGERS PLANS for the TGV of the future have been given the go-ahead as the government has told TGV makers Alstom

Transport to concentrate less on improving high speeds and technical performance and concentrate on bringing down the running costs and improving the efficiency. The new-generation TGV will

have 25% extra seats, use 50% less energy to run and – with exports being targeted - being easily customised for use by different clients on different railways around the world. Details of

the project come as SNCF revealed it is to spend €1billion on 40 new double-decker Euroduplex TGV trains from Alstom plus give about 40 other TGVs a facelift for a new marketing operation.

The trains are to get a new interior and internet access with new seating that will give 100 more seats, increasing the capacity from 456 to 556 and boosting the profitability of the

service. Voyages SNCF boss Rachel Picard said she wanted the TGV to be seen again as a good way to travel. To help that, ticket prices are also being examined with late promotions to SNCF

season ticket holders offering prices up to 50% off. More seats are also being offered on the cheaper iDTGV, Prem’s and low-cost service Ouigo at under €30. Ouigo, which mostly serves Paris

and the south-east from non-main stations, will be extended towards Nantes in 2016, Bordeaux and Rennes in 2017 and then to Lille and Strasbourg. The move to boost the profitability and

attractiveness of the new generation TGVs is a big change for Alstom Transport and the TGV as engineers have so far had the upper hand over commercial managers in how the high-speed train

has been developed. Now Alstom is to go into partnership with energy agency Ademe to work on the research, development and funding of the project, with first results due at the beginning of

2016. At the same time SNCF is to launch a Europe-wide search for industrial partners – which could mean that Alstom is not guaranteed to build the final TGVs. Companies such as Bombardier

and Siemens could compete for the contract. Government ministers Emmanuel Macron and Alain Vidalies announced the new project and said that the new TGV could be ready by 2019 with a

prototype in 2017, testing in 2018 and ready for sale by 2020.