Alstom and SNCF Voyageurs have unveiled the first TGV M power car. With a 97% carbon recyclability objective, its carbon footprint is the lowest on the market.
Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom France, Christophe Fanichet Chairman and CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, and Alain Krakovitch Managing Director, Voyages SNCF, launched the eco-designed TGV at Alstom’s Belfort workshops this week.
The event also revealed the winners of a design competition launched last September to create the lamination or coating of two trial trains. They will be invited to participate in trials to be held in the Czech Republic and in France in 2022.
Thanks to a more compact, simplified and streamlined architecture, the TGV M boasts reduced acquisition and maintenance costs while gaining 20% in capacity. The return of energy to the catenary during braking, eco-driving and the increasingly aerodynamic shape of the nose enables overall energy savings of around 20%.
These new vehicles, which will also contribute to Alstom’s OUIGO offer, introduce a number of advancements including a 20% increase of on-board floor space amounting to 740 seats compared to 600 in current duplex carriages, improved modularity and real-time provision of information on train parts, allowing preventive maintenance.
In addition, the TGV M provides 100% accessibility across carriage areas for all passengers. It was designed in close collaboration with wheelchair user associations and will be the first TGV to provide fully autonomous train accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
The first trainsets are scheduled to enter service in 2024.
