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(CNN) — Welcome to the upcoming European high-speed rail journey.
French rail company SNCF and train manufacturer Alstom have unveiled the first completed TGV M, a next-generation high-speed double-decker train with a longer and more airy nose that’s perfect for hurtling through the French countryside.
Alstom has dubbed the new train the “TGV of the Future”. TGV stands for Train à Grand Vitesse which means High Speed Train.
This new design will be launched on the Paris rail network in 2024 and across the country over the next 10 years.
Bigger and better
TGV is one of the world’s most famous high-speed train brands and has been a staple of European rail travel since the early 1980s.
In the year In 2018, state-owned SNCF, which controls the TGV, ordered 100 TGV M trains (also known as Avelia Horizon trains) for €2.7 billion (around $2.7 billion). An additional 15 trains have been ordered by August 2022.
Most of the trains operate in France, but Alstom says 15 trains ride the rails internationally.
The TGV M operates at the same top speed as the previous TGV trains — 350 kilometers per hour (220 mph).
Unveiled at Alstom’s factory in La Rochelle in western France, the new TGV M train will be Europe’s next generation of high-speed rail.
Xavier Leoty/AFP/Getty Images
Not only are the TGV M trains 40.5 cm (15.9 in) longer noses than their predecessors, they are also larger all round. Roomier carriage insides can accommodate up to 740 seats, compared to the current maximum of 634.
The TGV Ms features what manufacturer Alstom calls “unprecedented modularity,” meaning the train’s internal configuration can be easily modified. A carriage can be adapted from second class to first class and back, or to make room for oversized luggage or bicycles. There will also be passenger social spaces on board to provide variety and flexibility on longer journeys.
According to Alstom, the design improves the TGV’s energy efficiency and carbon footprint, with 97% of the train’s components now recyclable.
It will also provide better accessibility — there will be a lift platform to allow wheelchair users to board the train independently, and an audio system on board to assist visually impaired passengers.
The TGV lighting matches the natural light outside and the large windows make for plenty of views.
In its statement, Alstom describes “a train set in which sensors continuously transmit thousands of data, allowing the train to be monitored in real-time from every direction to facilitate maintenance and availability of the train set.”
From design to reality
The future components of the TGV M will force some infrastructure changes on the French rail network – for example, some station stop signs will have to be moved to avoid being covered by the longer nose of the new train.
Train drivers are actively involved in the design process, especially in the driver’s cab, says Alstom.
“Using virtual reality goggles, one hundred drivers were given a virtual tour of the cab, with a choice of three space designs,” according to the company.
With the first completed train unveiled, the next step is what Alstom describes as a “long test period” — the first phase of testing will begin in the Czech Republic in late 2022.
Top photo by Xavier Leoty/AFP/Getty Images
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