End of TGV SE

[Alfie1014]

The French Railways Society has confirmed the reports that the last TGV SE units were all withdrawn en masse without fanfare during the strikes last December. The last 20 or so units operating on services from Gare du Nord have been replaced by Duplex and Reseaux sets transferred from other routes. This marks the end of a career for units when introduced in the 1980s that transformed High Speed rail in France.

 

[gazthomas]

End of an era, similar age to our Intercity I25s

 

[DidcotDickie]

SNCF have repainted the first TGV SE unit 01 in its original livery

https://twitter.com/conducteur_PSE/status/1224981084552728576

Looks as good as our HST in its commemorative livery!
I see that it's called 'Patrick' and pleased that it's destined for a museum. Apparently unit 02 was called 'Sophie'

 

[Wychwood93]

SNCF have repainted the first TGV SE unit 01 in its original livery

https://twitter.com/conducteur_PSE/status/1224981084552728576

Looks as good as our HST in its commemorative livery!
I see that it's called 'Patrick' and pleased that it's destined for a museum. Apparently unit 02 was called 'Sophie'

Happy memories! I first travelled on one of these in July 1983 - Paris Lyon to Avignon and back two weeks later. As with our HST, they had to sometime. Anyone any idea how many kilometres they clocked up in all those years?

 

[43096]

Anyone any idea how many kilometres they clocked up in all those years?

Indeed, it would be interesting to know what distances the PSE sets actually covered (as opposed to an “I would think” guess) in their life.

 

[SHD]

Patrick has clocked up ~14 million kilometers over his 42-year career.

 

[43096]

Patrick has clocked up ~14 million kilometers over his 42-year career.

Interestingly - but not surprisingly - that is less than the highest mileage HST power cars, which are around 10 million miles / 16 million kilometres.

 

[MarcVD]

Interestingly - but not surprisingly - that is less than the highest mileage HST power cars, which are around 10 million miles / 16 million kilometres.

It does not mean that other TGV-PSE sets have not accumulated more kms than that...

 

[43096]

It does not mean that other TGV-PSE sets have not accumulated more kms than that...

2 million more?

The HST is, to quote former BR InterCity Sector Director John Prideaux, "An outstanding achievement, fully the equal of TGV." I'd argue more impressive: to do more mileage in a similar time period, despite having lower top speed and being diesel powered, is astonishing.

 

[Bald Rick]

It does not mean that other TGV-PSE sets have not accumulated more kms than that...

No, but then the TGVs weren’t that intensively used, unlike the HSTs. Witness the dozens of spare sets standing around in the sidings just outside Gare de Lyon, awaiting a summer Saturday.

 

[CC 72100]

No, but then the TGVs weren’t that intensively used, unlike the HSTs. Witness the dozens of spare sets standing around in the sidings just outside Gare de Lyon, awaiting a summer Saturday.

Even today they're not, I remember reading and article from the Ouigo launch proudly explaining that these sets would be used more intensively, up to 14 hours use per day, compared to 7 for a standard set.

Now that figure for a normal TGV seems low, but even 14 hours per day would be less time in traffic than the majority of West Coast/East Coast/GWR intercity sets.

 

[Richard Scott]

This site https://trainsso.pagesperso-orange.fr/page9.html gives kms accumulated by withdrawn vehicles, except TGVs unfortunately. A couple of withdrawn 15000s over 10 million kms. France does seem to have a problem with under-utilisation, always see lots of locos/units sat around all day. Whenever I go always seems to be the same locos in use (I'm convinced half of those in traffic actually don't work!!!).

 

[hexagon789]

No, but then the TGVs weren’t that intensively used, unlike the HSTs. Witness the dozens of spare sets standing around in the sidings just outside Gare de Lyon, awaiting a summer Saturday.

IIRC while the HSTs here operated a regular interval timetable (hourly on the GWML and ECML when fully introduced), in France the TGV service pattern mimicked that of the previous classic line services with large gaps in train services in the middle of the day and concentrations of a number of trains in the direction of peak flows at peak times but not to a fixed regular interval timetable as such. I think there was even a gap of something like 3 or 3.5 hours in the timetable between trains in one direction.

Now if I can only find the source to back that up, possibly an issue of Modern Railways?

 

[Flying Snail]

This site https://trainsso.pagesperso-orange.fr/page9.html gives kms accumulated by withdrawn vehicles, except TGVs unfortunately. A couple of withdrawn 15000s over 10 million kms. France does seem to have a problem with under-utilisation, always see lots of locos/units sat around all day. Whenever I go always seems to be the same locos in use (I'm convinced half of those in traffic actually don't work!!!).

A better problem to have then the perennial British one of not having enough stock to deal with any extra demands or unexpected incidents.

 

[Bald Rick]

IIRC while the HSTs here operated a regular interval timetable (hourly on the GWML and ECML when fully introduced), in France the TGV service pattern mimicked that of the previous classic line services with large gaps in train services in the middle of the day and concentrations of a number of trains in the direction of peak flows at peak times but not to a fixed regular interval timetable as such. I think there was even a gap of something like 3 or 3.5 hours in the timetable between trains in one direction.

Now if I can only find the source to back that up, possibly an issue of Modern Railways?

Part of that was the traditional ‘white period’ (no trains) in the middle of the day for track inspections. It also coincided with a long lunch.

 

[hexagon789]

Part of that was the traditional ‘white period’ (no trains) in the middle of the day for track inspections. It also coincided with a long lunch.

Which would explain the largest gap in the middle of the day. Do any LGVs still have a 'white period' or has that been superseded by increased passenger demand requiring more trains?

 

[Bald Rick]

Which would explain the largest gap in the middle of the day. Do any LGVs still have a 'white period' or has that been superseded by increased passenger demand requiring more trains?

I don’t think so, there’s certainly no gap on the LGV Nord or LGV SE.

 

[hexagon789]

I don’t think so, there’s certainly no gap on the LGV Nord or LGV SE.

I surmised they'd likely got rid of that these days. Demand for trains precluding such luxuries.