France's new TGV finally makes its first Paris–Marseille trip, 2.5 years late

It was late. Very late. But on Friday 6 November, France's new-generation TGV finally left Paris with paying passengers and arrived in Marseille just before 1 p.m., right on schedule.

The train, officially called the "TGV Inoui Nouvelle Génération" (also known as the TGV M), set off from Gare de Lyon with SNCF boss Jean Castex and representatives of builder Alstom on board.

What happened?

The train was first expected on the tracks in summer 2024, in time for the Paris Olympics. It arrived about two and a half years behind that. Alstom's chief executive, Martin Sion, put it simply: the more technology and innovation you pack in, the greater the risk of slippage. "Collectively we overcame these difficulties, and we have a very good train," he said.

You may remember the earlier steps: SNCF ordered the first 100 sets in 2018, and testing and certification then overran. The order now stands at 160 sets.

What's different on board?

You can spot it from the platform: the nose is sleeker and more aerodynamic. Inside, each train has nine double-deck cars and up to 740 seats, about a hundred more than a Ouigo (SNCF's low-cost high-speed service). Storage space for bags and suitcases is up 20%.

Seats have height-adjustable headrests and roughly 15 cm more room for your knees, even in second class. Alstom and SNCF say they filed 400 patents for the design.

Then there's the bar car, now called Bistro, spread over two levels. Downstairs you can buy lentil salads, poached eggs or sandwiches and heat a dish in a microwave. Upstairs has a bar vibe with colourful armchairs and the classic TGV lamps. On opening day, the queue was at least half an hour.

The train should use 20% less electricity and emit 32% less CO2. It also carries backup batteries, so it can reach a station over a short distance if the power fails instead of being stuck on the line.

What's next?

For now there is one return trip a day between Paris and Marseille. A second arrives at the end of November, and about a dozen are planned for early 2027. Nice comes next, then the Alps, as Alstom delivers more trains. The timetable is still a bit uncertain.

One thing that may not last: actors performed little sketches during the journey to promote the train, and many passengers seemed unconvinced.