French train manufacturing giant Alstom has unveiled what it’s calling the successor to the TGV. The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse / high-speed railcar) does away with conventional engines at either end, instead moving the driving force to each and every wheel, allowing the AGV to travel faster and seat more passengers in the same amount of space.
The latter point is particularly interesting, as faster trains will undoubtedly attract more ecologically-focused passengers to switch from taking short-haul flights. This would previously have led to overcrowding, which could only have been overcome with longer trains, which in turn call for further infrastructure investment in the shape of longer platforms. That wouldn’t happen.
By running on standard tracks and working with existing platforms, the AGV can be slotted into existing fleet and track set-ups with little expense beyond the cost of the trains themselves.
It looks like the TGV’s days of being the darling of European rail travel could be finally coming to an end as the AGV achieves what even Spain’s AVE, and Germany’s ICE couldn’t do.
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