Testing of the TGV M train, the future INOUI TGV, has intensified with the arrival of the second test train, as reported by the railway portal Railway Supply.

The testing of the TGV M train

Testing on the French national railway network has been ongoing since June and will continue until the end of the year when the acceptance testing phase begins.

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SNCF Voyageurs has ordered 115 fifth-generation TGV trains from the Alstom Avelia Horizon range, worth around €3.5 billion.

They will be put into service over ten years, starting in 2025 when the first trains will run on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille line.

Preliminary validation tests began at the Large test track in the Czech Republic in December of last year, and in March, the high-speed train went to Vienna for climate tests.

This allowed the train to be tested at extreme temperatures ranging from -20°C to +40°C. Its ability to withstand climate constraints will contribute significantly to achieving the goal of reducing the future INOUI TGV’s energy consumption by 20%.

The test train conducted preliminary validation tests on the French national railway network starting in June, allowing for the assessment and confirmation of its maneuvering, energy collection via the pantograph, traction, and braking functions.

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On September 14, it reached its maximum commercial speed of 320 km/h for the first time.

In October, preliminary validation tests will accelerate with the first runs of the second train, allowing for the testing of all the train’s safety equipment. The new test train features two special liveries developed by SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom employees and will be visible on the Sud Europe Atlantique high-speed line until mid-November.

Accredited authorities will conduct initial tests in the first half of 2024.

Starting in the fall of the following year, the first four trains will be deployed across the network for pre-operation tests.

The future INOUI TGV will complete 350 cumulative weeks of testing and cover more than one million kilometers before entering into service.

SNCF Voyageurs is upgrading its technical maintenance centers for the fifth-generation TGV.

Technicentre Sud Est Européen (TSEE), which welcomed the first TGVs in 1981, will be the first to support the new trains.

A €300 million investment will go towards its modernization. It will be more environmentally friendly, with 64% of TSEE buildings being heated with renewable energy, and 4,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels covering the depot’s roof.

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