Called project “Botox”, the initiative is being carried out by SNCF Voyageurs’ equipment department. According to the firm, the program will see around 100 TGV trains modernized and include around two million hours of work in the business’s industrial technical centers.
The overall aim of the project is to increase the lifespan of some of the older trains SNCF Voyageurs has in its current fleet of 363 trainsets for the TGV intercity high-speed rail service in France. The company hopes that by modernizing its fleet it will encourage more people to make a modal shift from the roads to the railways and it will lessen its own impact on the environment as it will avoid the emission-heavy development of new vehicles.
According to SNCF, 104 trains have currently been identified as eligible for project Botox. Each train will be assessed by the end of Q1 2024, with technicians examining the trains’ structural condition, as well as the state of its electrics, bogies, and other elements. This process will help the equipment department decide on the future of the train.
Once the analysis process is complete, the trains will be separated into three categories – those that are in the ideal condition, but could do with some renovations to improve passenger comfort; those which are in a state requiring more substantial reliability and renovation operations, taking into account their extension period; and those which will have to be written off and whose parts are obsolete (electronic components or condition of the chassis, for example).
However, nearly 3,000 potentially reusable parts will be recovered from the written off trains for use on repairs to other trains.
SNCF Voyageurs noted that based on the assessments carried out, the trains will be extended for two to four years, or for 10 years.
“For trains extended from two to four years, it will take one year of studies and between two weeks and one month of work per train,” SNCF Voyageurs noted. “These first renovated trains will run in early 2026 on the Atlantic Axis high-speed rail line. For trains that will be extended for 10 years, it will take three years of studies before starting renovation operations lasting four to six months per train. The start of the 10-year extension program will begin in 2026 and end in 2033.”
SNCF Voyageurs also noted that only two-level trainsets, which represent a quarter of the renovated TGV fleet, will be eligible for a 10-year extension.
Environmental excellence is at the heart of project Botox, according to SNCF Voyageurs. To save energy on the renovated trains, teams will draw inspiration from the improvements resulting from the TGV M project, particularly the aerodynamics which makes it possible to reduce energy consumption during the circulation of the trains.
In addition, the Botox project makes a point of reducing energy consumption when stationary by combining several energy saving projects, such as parking in eco mode or replacing lighting with LED technology.