Bienvenue: France's new generation TGV will carry passengers around the country at 350km an hour. Photo / Supplied, Oliver Schindler, Alstom
Bienvenue: France's new generation TGV will carry passengers around the country at 350km an hour. Photo / Supplied, Oliver Schindler, Alstom
What's French for the future of European high-speed travel?
French national rail operator unveiled its new-look "TGV of the future" trains ordered from manufacturers Alstom this week.
At an event at La Rochelle West France, it was a look at what might be dubbed the "nemesis of low-cost air travel".
La Train à Grande Vitesse or TGV has been a regular fixture of the tourist route, traversing the French countryside. The TGV M is the latest generation of train, aims to attract more travellers out of the skies and onto the rails.
Blasting through the railways at 350 km/h they're due to carry their first passengers in 2024.
Apart from shipping travellers around the country - it is clear that the TGV M has "intercontinental" ambitions.
State-owned rail operator SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer Français) placed an initial order for 100 units, later adding 15 new-age locomotives for international services.
It's clear that TGV has the ambition to go up against routes served by low-cost air carriers.
Nemesis of the skies: The new generation double-decker TGV-M was unveiled in France. Photo / Supplied, Oliver Schinder, Alstom
Five years after placing the $2.7 billion order, the attitude towards air travel has changed in France.
Concerns over jet emissions prompted the French Government to ban airlines from operating routes where a rail or public transport route is available in under 150 minutes.
Coming into effect in April, The Guardian reported this had eliminated 12 per cent of short haul flights in favour of trains.
The new high-speed carriages are likely to shrink the domestic air network further.
However the biggest asset the double decker trains have over aircraft is cabin space. The new generation increases capacity over the last generation of caboose by over a fifth, to 740 seats.
That's four easyJet A320 planes stuck together and a fraction of the emissions.
President of Alstom France, Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud who was at the unveiling said the TGV M was not focused on going faster but going further, more economically.
"With a 32 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, the TGV M is fully in line with the SNCF Group's environmental commitments," said a statement.
As laudable as these sustainability credentials are, they were met with so much sang froid on Friday.
It was the design elements and concepts which inspired a bit more Gallic passion.
Social areas such as the train bar and "passenger lounges" have been designed for a "serene and peaceful journey" with 5G internet real-time route and train speed information.
Modular cabins can be quickly converted to add more first class cabins on commuter routes or extra luggage and bicycle storage during the summer holidays.
The windows have also been enlarged for "panoramic views" of the French countryside.
The first call for the TGV M is the Velim, the Czech Republic for speed testing by the end of this year.
