TGVs in an SNCF maintenance workshop, May 14, 2020 in Châtillon, in Hauts-de-Seine (AFP/Archives/Ludovic MARIN)
SNCF Voyageurs wants to extend the lifespan of 104 TGVs from two to ten years in particular in order to “respond to a demand from ever-increasing numbers of travelers choosing the train”, this SNCF group company responsible for passenger rail transport said on Thursday.
To “strengthen the TGV offer”, this “Botox” project to “extend the lifespan” of 104 TGV trainsets will be added to the order placed for 115 new new generation TGV Inoui trainsets (TGV M), at The increase in the number of TGV Ouigo trains (from 38 to 50 trains) and “the intensification of the use of rolling stock”, explained SNCF Voyageurs in a press release.
The objective is to “extend the lifespan of these TGVs beyond forty years”, declared Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, during a press conference. These are “nearly a third of our TGVs which can be extended”, he added, while the TGV fleet currently has 363 trainsets.
The company is already completely renovating its trains at mid-life, but “from 2026, 104 TGV trainsets will see their lifespan extended by two to ten years (…) beyond what is conventional” and, “obviously, this must be done with 100% security, but also comfort” for travelers, underlined Alain Krakovitch, director of TGV-Intercités.
These 104 trains “eligible for the Botox program will be assessed” and their renovation will last “until 2033”, he specified. Among these trains, around “a quarter are two-level and three-quarters are single-level, the oldest”, he detailed.
“Only double-deck trainsets will be extended for up to ten years,” he noted. “The other trains will be extended from two to six years,” said Vincent Lahillade, director of industrial operations.
The overall cost of this renovation program, which will be entrusted to the SNCF workshops, should reach “several hundred million euros (…) There are still assessments to be carried out”, according to Mr. Krakovitch.
To renovate these trains, other trainsets will be used as “stores” for spare parts and “very modern techniques, for example the 3D reproduction of parts”, will be used, he noted. “We are in the process of creating a sort of material resource,” he summarized.
The duration of extension of the life of these trains will depend on the results of the assessments, i.e. one to three years of studies, depending on the trains. The renovation work will take two weeks to six months. The first renovated trains will run in early 2026.
These renovations will require “around 2 million hours of work in the SNCF technical centers”, assessed Mr. Krakovitch.
SNCF Voyageurs also presented its “first sustainable transition report” on Thursday. Among its objectives set for 2030, the company wants to reduce, compared to 2015, carbon emissions from the circulation of its trains by 30% and those from its buildings by 50%.
© 2023 AFP
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