The newest fleet of high-speed trains from the French National Railroad (SNCF) has been announced. Starting December 11, SNCF’s TGV Océane will service routes between Paris, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. The new fleet has the capacity to reach speeds of 199 miles per hour, and is projected to service 2.3 million passengers per year. Travelers can purchase tickets for the new trains through Rail Europe.
The TGV will fit 556 travelers, which is 22 percent more than the current TGV Atlantique.
First class has seating made of pure wool knits, leather, and wood, and each seat is equipped with a wood table top embedded into the seatback, individual power point, and personal USB port.
New, and unique, to the TGV Océane trains, each first-class seat pivots 180 degrees. The second-class cars, with room for 398 passengers, have seats equipped with extra-wide tray tables, personal USB ports, and 220v power points.
SNCF has improved their passengers’ experiences, including:
- New luggage spaces
- Two seat option for those traveling with bicycles
- A nursery unit with changing table
- Enhanced accessibility for limited-mobility or disabled travellers
- An information desk, where the train manager can meet with customers during travel
- Screen displays with an on-board passenger information system, designed to provide status updates during both normal operation and service disruptions
- Better connectivity, with 4G Wi-Fi service provided free of charge through Orange, beginning July 2017
For those who are interested in the design of the trains – past and present – now through January 8, 2017, Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs within the Louvre Palace will be displaying Roger Tallon's, the original designer, original works in several areas, including the Corail train and the TGV Duplex as part of the “Roger Tallon: The Design in Movement” exhibition.
Visit www.raileurope.com
This story originally appeared on LuxuryTravelAdvisor.com.