After years of delays, France’s new double-decker 'TGV M' is finally set to enter service, making its first commercial journey on the Paris-Marseille route.
The first TGV Inoui train of the new generation will make its inaugural journey on the Paris-Marseille route on Friday, November 6th, France's national rail operator, SNCF, announced.
The train, known as the 'TGV M' by SNCF, was originally due to enter service in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024. Its launch was subsequently pushed back several times, first to 2025, then January 2026, and later to the summer and autumn of 2026.
The new double-decker trains can carry up to 740 passengers per train. When two trains are coupled together, capacity exceeds 1,400 passengers.
This represents a 20 percent increase in capacity compared with the previous generation of TGVs. The trains are also designed to consume 20 percent less energy due especially to their aerodynamic nose, and to reduce CO2 emissions by 32 percent, according to SNCF.
The new trains are part of a wider programme to renew and expand the operator's high-speed fleet. SNCF has ordered around 160 next-generation TGV trains from French manufacturer Alstom since 2018, with a total value of approximately €4.6 billion.
The initial order, announced in 2018, covered 100 trains. A further 15 were ordered in 2022 as part of SNCF's plans to expand its operations in Italy.
In 2025, SNCF Voyageurs added 30 trainsets for Eurostar Group and its cross-Channel services. In January 2026, it ordered another 15 trains, worth €600 million, notably for routes between France and Belgium.