The TGV M (also known as the Avelia Horizon) is a
high speed passenger train designed and produced by the French rolling stock manufacturer
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
. It has a broadly similar design to the
TGV Duplex
The TGV Duplex is a French high-speed train of the TGV family, manufactured by Alstom, and operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It is unique among TGV trains in that it features bi-level carriages. The Duplex inaugurated th ...
sets, with
bi-level carriages and a
push-pull configuration
An aircraft constructed with a push-pull configuration has a combination of forward-mounted tractor (pull) propellers, and backward-mounted ( pusher) propellers.
Historical
The earliest known examples of "push-pull" engined-layout aircraft incl ...
with a
power car
In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle:
*a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, multiple unit or tram, often as the lead vehicle;
*a vehicle equipped ...
on either end. However, it is more energy efficient and provides lower operation costs.
Development of the TGV-M originated with SNCF's launch of a program to procure a new generation of high speed trains in 2015. During May 2016, the Alstom-headed ''Speedinnov''
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
was selected as the winning bidder for the program; on 7 September 2016, SNCF and Alstom signed an agreement to design and build the new trains. During July 2018, SNCF placed a €2.7 billion order for 100 trainsets, then referred to as the ''Avelia Horizon''. Production of the first bodyshells commenced in mid-2020; two years later, dynamic testing was underway. The TGV M is expected to enter service with the French train operator
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
in
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
service in 2024; deliveries will continue into the 2030s.
History
During 2015, SNCF launched a program to select a supplier for a new generation of high speed trainsets, to be designed as a joint venture with the manufacturer.
Amongst its requirements, SNCF specified that the new trains be at least 20% less expensive to purchase than their predecessors while possessing lower operating costs as well. Planners were reportedly keen to minimise the lifetime costs of rolling stock so that cheaper tickets could be offered.
Around this time, the profitability of France's railway was under pressure from a combination of
budget airline
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (occasionally referred to as '' no-frills'', ''budget'' or '' discount carrier'' or ''airline'', and abbreviated as ''LCC'') is an airline that is operated with an especially high emphasis on minimizing op ...
s,
car sharing
Carsharing or car sharing (AU, NZ, CA, TH, & US) or car clubs (UK) is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. It differs from traditional car rental in that the owners of the cars are often pri ...
, and long-distance bus operators; in response, the French government was proactive in is efforts to reorient long distance travellers towards its railways. Additional support for the program came via the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
's
Europe 2020
Europe 2020 is a 10-year strategy proposed by the European Commission on 3 March 2010 for advancement of the economy of the European Union. It aims at a " smart, sustainable, inclusive growth" with greater coordination of national and European po ...
strategy.
The French government agency
Ademe partnered with the rolling stock manufacturer
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
to form the ''SpeedInnov''
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
, which submitted a bid for the SNCF's program. The submission was for a new train that would be one part of a broader family of high speed equipment that Alstom would pursue the sales of globally; this philosophy was a significant shift from that of all previous TGV orders, which had involving rolling stock being built specifically to suit the French market. Alongside new technology, many existing features from the company's prior high speed trains were also reused.
SpeedInnov was selected as the winning bid, enabling work to commence in May 2016.
On 7 September 2016, SNCF and Alstom signed an agreement to design and build the trains, with the design phase scheduled to be complete by the end of 2017 and an entry into service in 2022.
Thereafter, an 18 month development period was undertaken. During this time, the new trainset's design was defined after examining various conceptual arrangements; various recent innovations were also evaluated for their potential inclusion, the benefits and cost of such inclusions being individually discussed in detail with SNCF.
By July 2018, the design was complete and branded ''Avelia Horizon'' by the manufacturer. That same month, SNCF placed a €2.7 billion order for 100 trainsets; this order was accompanied by options to potentially change the quantity on order as well as a maintenance package.
SNCF observed that the unit costs of the new train was 20 percent less than the older
TGV Duplex
The TGV Duplex is a French high-speed train of the TGV family, manufactured by Alstom, and operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It is unique among TGV trains in that it features bi-level carriages. The Duplex inaugurated th ...
. Economic consequences of this order include the creation of 4,000 new jobs across the French railway sector, largely within the manufacturing sector via the engagement of ten of Alstom’s facilities in France over a ten year period; it was also promoted as boosting SNCF's productivity, controlling its costs, and boosting market share.
Between 2018 and 2022, the detailed design of the train was undertaken, along with the preparation of production, and the necessary steps towards its certification to permit its operation.
In July 2020, Alstom announced that it had started manufacturing bodyshells for the TGV M at its plant in
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
; static testing of the first vehicles stated in summer 2021 while dynamic testing commenced one year later.
The first test phase is to start in the Czech Republic by the end of 2022.
Completed TGV M trains are scheduled to enter service with SNCF sometime in 2024, while deliveries are expected to continue through to 2033.
In August 2022, SNCF announced that it has exercised an option for 15 additional quad-current TGV M trainsets for international services valued at €590m.
Design
The TGV M is a high speed train that is promoted as being an entirely indigenously French design. Furthermore, it is also one member of a wider family of high speed trains, referred to as ''Avelia'', that has been developed for the global high speed rail market.
In terms of its basic configuration, it is a
push–pull train
Push–pull is a configuration for locomotive-hauled trains, allowing them to be driven from either end of the train, whether having a locomotive at each end or not.
A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via ...
set, comprising power cars at both ends along with between seven and nine bilevel passenger cars in an
articulated arrangement.
The TGV M has been designed to be readily adaptable. It is outfitted with a
modular
Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...
interior that permits the operator to adapt the same basic design to suit various types of passenger experiences and market trends.
It is possible to rapidly reconfigure an individual coach or train; reportedly, first-class coaches can be converted into second class coaches within half a day. Features such as luggage storage, bike racks, and additional seating can be added or removed when appropriate.
When outfitted with the highest capacity interior layout, each trainset is capable of carrying up to 740 instead of the current 634 passengers.
The TGV M will be the first high speed train in SNCF service to have complete digital connectivity, provisioned via an optimised onboard internet network that is reportedly capable of integrating future innovations.
Amongst other benefits, this shall facilitate on-board
WiFi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wa ...
provision along with real-time passenger information displays throughout the train.
An intelligently-managed
air conditioning
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
system provides precision climate control for greater comfort; airflow is managed via a series of ceiling vents. Via a series of rotating and lifting platforms, passengers with mobility impairments are capable of independent movement through the coaches.
SNCF has stated that every area of the train will be designed with accessibility in mind for all travellers, including fully independent boarding.
The TGV M is capable of attaining a maximum speed of , its electric motors being capable of outputting up to of power.
A 20 percent reduction in energy consumption is attributable to the effectiveness of its
regenerative braking
Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
. In addition, each trainset is composed almost entirely of recyclable materials, the use of more eco-friendly materials resulted in a 37 percent reduction in the TGV M's
carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carbo ...
over that of its predecessors.
Via the use of remote diagnostic systems, which facilitates the adoption of
predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance techniques are designed to help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to estimate when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintena ...
practices, a 30 percent reduction in maintenance costs has been claimed by the manufacturer. Furthermore, a large proportion of the components used benefit from an optimised design that shall simplify maintenance procedures and facilitate longer intervals between maintenance actions.
See also
*
Avelia Liberty
Avelia Liberty, also known as the Acela II, is a high-speed passenger train built for the North American market by French manufacturer Alstom and assembled in the United States. Amtrak has ordered 28 trainsets for use on its flagship '' Acela' ...
*
Talgo AVRIL
Talgo Avril is a high-speed train that Talgo is developing. It stands for "Alta Velocidad Rueda Independiente Ligero" (roughly translated as "Light High-Speed Independent Wheel").
Design
The train is intended to have a top speed of . It will have ...
*
TGV Duplex
The TGV Duplex is a French high-speed train of the TGV family, manufactured by Alstom, and operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It is unique among TGV trains in that it features bi-level carriages. The Duplex inaugurated th ...
References
{{High-speed rail
TGV trainsets
Electric multiple units with locomotive-like power cars
Double-decker high-speed trains
Alstom multiple units
1500 V DC multiple units of France
3000 V DC multiple units
15 kV AC multiple units
25 kV AC multiple units