SNCF TGV Sud-Est

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A TGV Sud-Est set in the original orange livery

The SNCF TGV Sud-Est is a French TGV train built by Alstom and operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. It is a semi-permanently coupled electric multiple unit which operates primarily between Paris and the south-east of France.

The TGV Sud-Est fleet was built between 1978 and 1988 and operated the first TGV service from Paris to Lyon in 1981. Currently there are 107 passenger sets operating, of which nine are tri-current (25 kV 50-60 Hz AC - French lignes à grande vitesse, 1500 V DC - French lignes classiques, 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz AC - Switzerland) and the rest bi-current (25 kV 50-60 Hz AC, 1500 V DC). There are also seven bi-current half-sets - TGV La Poste - without seats which carry mail for La Poste between Paris and Lyon. These are painted in a distinct yellow livery.

Each set is made up of two power cars and eight carriages (capacity 345 seats), including a powered bogie in each of the carriages adjacent to the power cars. They are 200 m (656 ft) long and 2.81 m (9.2 ft) wide. They weigh 385 tonnes (424 tons) with a power output of 6,450 kW under 25 kV.

The TGV Sud-Est trainsets as they all appear today in the silver and blue Atlantique livery

Originally the sets were built to run at 270 km/h (168 mph) but most were upgraded to 300 km/h (186 mph) during their mid-life refurbishment in preparation for the opening of the LGV Méditerranée. The few sets which still have a maximum speed of 270 km/h operate on routes which have a comparatively short distance on the lignes à grande vitesse, such as those to Switzerland via Dijon. SNCF did not consider it financially worthwhile to upgrade their speed for a marginal reduction in journey time.

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