FRANCE: National operator SNCF has launched what it calls ‘Project Botox’ to extend the life of its oldest TGV trainsets by up to 10 years.
This aims to help the operator meet passenger demand; its fleet of 363 high speed trainsets carried 24 million passengers this summer with an 82% occupancy rate and 40% of services being fully booked.
The refurbishment programme will extend the lives of the 104 oldest trains by between two and 10 years, depending on their condition.
This will cover 28 TGV Atlantique RITA (‘Rénovation Intérieur TGV Atlantique’) sets, 26 TGV Réseau dual-voltage trains, 21 TGV Réseau tri-voltage units and six TGV Réseau sets used on the Paris – Lyon – Torino – Milano route. There will be a 10-year life extension refit for 23 TGV Duplex double-deck sets which will be designated as ‘Rames Nouvel Aménagement Intérieur’. They will receive a full interior refurbishment to the TGV Océane specification, as well as mid-life overhaul of the technical equipment. Work will take place in 2026-33.
The overhauls will include seat and toilet refurbishment, and installation of USB and power points. There will also be work on the bodies, bogies and electrical equipment to increase reliability.
The programme will get underway from 2024, with each trainset typically requiring a month of work. In addition, the TGV Réseau dual-voltage sets will be fitted with ETCS.
The refits will be undertaken at the Hellemmes and Bischheim workshops. The exact cost is not yet known as it will depend on the state of each train.
Ouigo fleet
Separately from the ‘Botox’ programme, SNCF is also planning to increase its Ouigo fleet used on low-cost high speed services. This will see the current fleet of 38 TGV Duplex Dayse Haute-Densité trains expanded with six TGV Duplex Dayse and six TGV P-Duplex sets in 2025.
The 50 Ouigo trainsets will then have a mid-life technical modernisation and a ‘Tango’ interior refurbishment increasing capacity to 653 seats, with USB points at each seat, redesigned luggage spaces and space for eight bicycles.
The refurbishments are in addition to the supply of 115 TGV M sets from the end of 2025, and according to SNCF they will provide a 10% to 15% increase in TGV capacity by 2032.
