FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom have unveiled the interior design of the TGV M high speed trainsets which are to enter service from 2026. Jérémie Anne reports from Paris.
Details of the interior design and the onboard proposition of the next generation of TGV trainsets were unveiled in Paris on March 11. The launch also saw the project title of ‘TGV M’ formally replaced by ‘TGV Inoui’, the brand SNCF Voyageurs uses to differentiate its legacy high speed services from the Ouigo low-cost offering
The TGV M design has been developed by the manufacturer and operator through a partnership launched in 2016. This has brought together 2 000 people from the two companies, including staff at 11 Alstom sites. The manufacturer said its teams have started from scratch to create the fifth generation of the TGV, but they have drawn on the experience of the previous generations.
There are ‘400 innovations implemented on the train’, according to the supplier’s CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge. These include a lithium-ion battery pack known as a greffon, which is intended to act as an emergency power and traction module that can move the train a short distance in the event of an electrical supply failure. Alstom explained that this should prevent a train becoming stranded mid-journey, unable to reach a station or refuge loop.
Flowing imagery
The interior has been developed by French design agency Arep and Japanese company Nendo, with a view to rethinking the design to suit modern passenger needs. ‘Flow’ is the aesthetic theme, with the designers likening the train’s progress through the countryside to a river meandering across a valley. An emblem of the design is a wavy line intended to represent both the line of the horizon and the surface of water.
New types of seat are being used in first and standard class, with all having USB ports and power sockets, as well as an individual light. The seats will have sequential numbering, an approach which is to be rolled out across the whole TGV fleet. This is intended to speed up boarding and minimise confusion between seat location on the upper and lower decks. Luggage racks are higher that on previous TGV designs.
Accessibility improved
Coach 3 has a lift to provide independent step-free access for wheelchair users. The partners said that this will enable wheelchair users to board the train ‘in full autonomy’ for the first time, and it is the result of a collaboration between the designers and accessibility groups that has been underway since 2017.
Other accessibility enhancements include Bluetooth-powered navigation tools to help visually impaired travellers find their way through the train.
Coach 1 has bicycle spaces, with each train able to accommodate up to eight bikes.
The cab has been fully redesigned with input from a panel of drivers, and the power cars have a central corridor to simplify maintenance.
TGV M is designed to be a modular and flexible platform. The nine-car set unveiled in Paris is 202 m long and has 586 seats, 20% more seats than most recent iterations of the Duplex design. A high capacity variant could carry up to 740 passengers, according to the operator and Alstom.
Bar becomes Bistro
The ‘Bistro Inoui’ buffet car is on two levels, with the counter on the lower level and tables upstairs with seating for 28 people in a convivial environment tailored to the needs of families and friend groups. A self-service deli approach is planned, with an attendant present to advise customers and to restock the shelves and fridges. Payment will be made through electronic POS terminals.
The catering offer is intended to reflect the best of French gastronomy, with a particular focus on seasonality. Menus are to be revised three time per year, and the offering will include an apéro or ‘happy hour’ proposition, which could include background music being played in the bar area.
The train is equipped with ETCS, TVM and KVB signalling. It can operate on 1·5 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz electrification. It has a maximum speed of 320 km/h and a continuous rating of 7·8 MW. Unlike many previous TGV fleets, the train has regenerative braking and its energy consumption is expected to be 20% lower than SNCF’s existing trains.
The HVAC and lights can adapt to the number of passengers on the train, and the revamped toilets feature water reuse functionality.
Testing
Five trainsets are currently undergoing testing, three individually and two as a coupled pair.
The first train is scheduled to be handed over to SNCF Voyageurs in June, and will undergo 1 million km of test running without passengers at speeds of up to 352 km/h. Authorisation for commercial service is expected by the end of the year; at the outset, SNCF had hoped to have the first trains in traffic before Paris hosted the 2024 Olympic Games.
SNCF Voyageurs is spending €300m to revamp its maintenance facilities to accommodate the trains. A key base initially will be the Technicentre Sud Est-Européen south of Paris, which services trains used on LGV Sud Est to Lyon and Marseille. Predictive maintenance will be used to maximise availability of the fleet.
Future orders
SNCF Voyageurs has so far ordered 115 TGV M sets at a cost of €4bn. This includes 100 trains for domestic routes, designated as TGV Class 1000. SNCF Voyageurs CEO Christophe Fanichet said these will enter traffic from the beginning of 2026 on the Paris – Lyon – Marseille corridor. A further 15 sets for international services will initially be used on the Paris – Milano route.
The partners said that no French train will have been tested more thoroughly than TGV M by the time the first set enters service. Initial proving runs took place at the Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic in December 2022.
In January, SNCF Voyageurs said it expected to call off options for more TGV M sets in the coming months.
- Go deeper: the SNCF Voyageurs leadership team will explain the national operator’s strategy in an evolving French passenger market in the April 2025 issue of Railway Gazette International.
