French President Emmanuel Macron announced at Paris’ Gare de Lyon that a new version of TGV will be released by 2024. It means being ready in time for the Paris Olympics. Macron held his press conference in the same place where President Mitterrand unveiled the first TGV 40 years ago.
The design released shows that the new TGV, named TGV M, will be similar in appearance to the latest Japanese high-speed trains. The improved aerodynamics have made it possible to reduce energy consumption by 20% and CO2 emissions by 32%.
The track of SNCF (French railways) is 30,000 km long, of which 2,800 km are dedicated lines, known as LGV (Ligne à Grande Vitesse), and the further improvement of French railways’ speed depends on the expansion of this network of dedicated lines.
The dazzling orange body of the TGV was a dream of mine when I was little. In 1989, when I first saw the TGV at Paris’ Gare de Lyon, I was so excited. I prefer a more square design, like the first TGV, rather than a streamlined silhouette. The body, repainted in silver and blue was very stylish and I wanted to get on it, but the train with an express fare was out of my league for a long time.
While I have great admiration for the TGV, I would really like to enjoy my train journey a little more slowly and tastefully, so it would be more convenient if the IC train was more extensive.
