French railway company SNCF has ordered 15 new high-speed trains from train manufacturer Alstom. The additional trains will be used to expand services between France and Belgium, particularly between major French cities and Brussels.
The order is worth 600 million euros. Alstom’s Avelia Horizon very high-speed train is the only double-decker train in the world capable of travelling at speeds above 300 km/h.
First use in July
This is the fourth order under a partnership between SNCF and France’s Alstom, signed in 2016 to design the ‘TGV of the future’, and currently accounts for 160 orders. Delivery of the 15 trainsets is expected in 2029.
The new high-speed trains will then gradually be put into service on lines between major French cities and Brussels. The first trains of the ‘high-speed train of the future’, called ‘TGV M’ by SNCF and ‘Avelia Horizon’ by Alstom, are scheduled to enter service in July, two years later than planned.
Due to the large order book and the race against time to fulfil all these orders, Alstom invested 150 million euros last year to increase production capacity. In 2025, Alstom delivered approximately one TGV M per month. With the new investments, the aim is to increase this to 2,5 per month in 2027.
20% less energy consumption
This new generation of trains makes it easy to add or remove carriages, allowing the train length to be quickly adjusted. First-class carriages can also be easily converted to second class, and vice versa.
The TGV M uses 20% less energy than previous models, mainly due to improved aerodynamics and more efficient engines. According to the designers, this results in 37% less CO2 emissions, and the train is made of 97% recyclable material. Alstom also states that maintenance will be 30% cheaper, partly thanks to sensors that indicate when parts need to be replaced.
Made in France
The train is assembled in La Rochelle, with ten different branches of the manufacturer involved in the project. The locomotives are built in Belfort and Ornans (Doubs); the traction chain comes from Tarbes; the bogies are made in Le Creusot (Saône-et-Loire); Villeurbanne (Métropole de Lyon) is responsible for the on-board computer systems; and Valenciennes is responsible for the interiors.
The quad-voltage trains will also be able to run under the different voltages of the railway networks in France and neighboring countries.
