Our future TGV INOUI has entered a new phase of testing. Developed at a cost of around €3.5bn, it is the result of a historic manufacturing and innovation partnership between SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom. New units will be rolled out gradually over 10 years.

Pre-validation testing started in the Czech Republic, where overall performance was validated up to 200 km/h. It continued in Vienna, where climate testing assessed the train’s behaviour at extreme temperatures. Since June 2023, trials have continued in France, with support from train drivers, expert rolling stock engineers at SNCF Voyageurs, specialists at Alstom, and more.

A team of 25-30 technicians and engineers are testing the train’s performance and adjusting as needed. Speeds will go as high as 320 km/h, the maximum for commercial operation on high-speed lines.

• The first train is used to test and validate traction, braking, circuit shunting¹, and power collection by the pantograph². It became the first of our future TGV INOUIs to run at 320 km/h.
• The second train allows us to validate the new TGV’s safety equipment. 

The rolling stock engineering team at SNCF Voyageurs manages these testing phases and has over 250 of its 1,800 technicians and engineers working on the project.

The rail network testing requires close cooperation between:

• rolling stock engineering experts
• the manufacturer
• dedicated teams in our Traction Division
• traffic management units at SNCF Réseau
• government agencies such as the French Railway Safety Authority (EPSF)

The TGV M’s performance will be tested on the French rail network, under conditions it is likely to encounter throughout its service life. Acceptance tests held in the first half of 2024 called for the train to reach 320 km/h, and we now expect the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) to issue a Marketing Authorization for the new TGV INOUI.

Starting in autumn 2024, several initial series units will run throughout the network as part of pre-operation testing. These pre-operation trials will probe the reliability of the train and its functions under actual operating conditions. This testing phase will also give drivers and train managers an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new train.

By the time this battery of tests is complete, our new TGV INOUI will have undergone 350 weeks and 1 million kilometres of testing before carrying a single passenger.