The 55 new trains duplex 3G will go quietly into the fleet of the station which already has 488. Outwardly, nothing distinguishes them from their elders also manufactured by Alstom and the delivery of which ranged between 2005 and 2011.
Inside, very slight innovations have been introduced: two screens are placed in each car to provide practical information (time, stations traveled, speed of the train …). The aisle is wider for the movement of disabled people. Seat reservations are displayed on small digital displays. Surprisingly, the SNCF seeks to preserve the same framework to avoid disturbing passengers … But according to the technicians of the station, trains are quieter and less pitching than older ones.They are also equipped with pre-wiring that will install a video system protection.
Yet, the president of the SNCF did not hesitate on Monday at a ceremony to talk about a new "weapon of European conquest." It is true that the Euro Duplex – it's his nickname – is the only way to travel in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain through its signaling system that will work on different networks and thanks to its compatibility with electrical equipment.
The new TGV will run on the network Rhine Rhone which the Strasbourg-Lyon is inaugurated in December. They also conduct trips between Marseilles and Frankfurt. Gradually, as they are delivered (9 in 2011, 15 in 2012, 11 in 2013, both in 2014 and 7 in 2015), the TGV also serve Spain."We currently have nearly 50% share of European market for high speed, said Guillaume Pepy, SNCF's boss. Today, the challenge is to keep them. "
The overall cost of this order placed in 2007 amounted to 1.6 billion euros, or about 28 million per train. Something to keep Alstom workshops while a European social movement was launched Monday in the various European sites of the Alstom Group. Germany, Spain and Italy are particularly affected by a plan to eliminate positions from 1300 to 1400 in the transportation division.