Alstom sells 12 TGVs to Proxima, future competitor of SNCF
This page is translated from the original post "Alstom vend 12 TGV à Proxima, futur concurrent de la SNCF" in French.
- 13/10/2024 13:05
The company Proxima has placed an order of 850 million euros with Alstom for the delivery, starting in 2028, of twelve new high-speed trains (TGV).
The monopoly of the SNCF continues to erode, with the opportunity for a profitable price war for travelers, but also the risk of a complete collapse of the French rail system. After Trenitalia to Italy and Renfe to Spain, here is a future significant player in high-speed transport: Proxima.
This new railway company, introduced in June 2024, is financed by the French investment fund Antin Infrastructure Partners and supported by several French and international banks. Proxima’s target will initially be the entire Atlantic coast of France with fast connections from Paris to Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, and Angers.
A TGV Made in France
Alstom has sold twelve new units of its future high-speed train Avelia Horizon along with fifteen years of maintenance. The total amount is approximately 850 million euros. The feature of the TGV Avelia Horizon is that it is the second generation of double-decker trains that can accommodate 740 passengers in its 200-meter version (1 trainset) and travel at 320 km/h.
Another feature is its design with a reduced number of bogies, which is expected to lead to a 30% decrease in maintenance costs and a 30% reduction in energy consumption… per passenger. The key here is largely due to the increased passenger capacity by up to 35% compared to current TGVs based on the chosen configurations. It should be noted that aerodynamics have received particular attention in the new Avelia Horizon.
Alstom specifies that eleven of its sixteen French sites are employed to produce its new train, namely:
- Belfort, for the locomotives
- La Rochelle, for passenger cars and project management
- Villeurbanne, for the control-command computer system, passenger information system, and onboard equipment
- Ornans, for the engines
- Le Creusot, for the bogies
- Flertex, for brake friction elements
- Tarbes, for traction and electrical cabinets
- EDC Toulouse, for electrical circuits
- Petit-Quevilly, for transformers
- Saint-Ouen, for design and signaling
- and Valenciennes (CDS Interiors), for interiors
The first deliveries to Proxima are planned for 2028, which gives the SNCF some time to find a solution.
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