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TGV Atlantique

The TGV Atlantique (TGV-A) is a class of high-speed trains used in France by Société nationale des chemins de fer français, SNCF. They were built by Alstom between 1988 and 1992, and were the second generation of  TGV trains, following on from the TGV Sud-Est trainsets. The trains were named after the Ligne à Grande Vitesse Atlantique, LGV, (lit. 'Atlantic high-speed line') that they were originally built for. 105 bi-current sets, numbered 301-405 were built. Entry into service began in 1989. They are 237,5 m long and 2,9 m  wide. They weigh 444 t  and are made up of two power cars and ten carriages with a total of 485 seats. They were built for a maximum speed of 300 km/h. From 2015 onwards, many of these units have been scrapped with only 28 still in service in 2022. Most of the remaining fleet have been refurbished and mainly see service on slower trains between Paris and Bordeaux that use only a portion of the LGV Atlantique and LGV Sud Europe Atlantique. Fast through services on the route are now operated by the higher capacity TGV "Océane". Modified unit 325 set the world speed record in 1990 on the new LGV before its opening. Modifications, such as improved aerodynamics, larger wheels (from 920 mm to 1090 mm) and improved braking were made to enable test run speeds of over 500 km/h. Its gear ratio was changed. The set was reduced to two power cars and three carriages to improve the power-to-weight ratio, weighing 250 t. The TGV Atlantique's world record was beaten in 2007, by a TGV POS set on the LGV Est, which reached a top speed of 574.8 km/h.

February 17 th 2025

 

 
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