TGV M gets regulatory green light — four years late
FRANCE: Alstom’s next-generation TGV M has received its first formal authorisation from European regulators, clearing a key milestone after four years of delays — but SNCF has stopped committing to a launch date.
The European Register of Authorised Types of Vehicles recorded approval for the domestic French configuration on 22 May, covering an 11-vehicle, 320 km/h set designed for the French network from high-speed to conventional lines.
The authorisation does not resolve the launch timeline. SNCF, which had previously targeted 1 July for the first four sets on the Paris–Lyon–Marseille corridor, is no longer confirming that date.
What the approval covers — and what it does not
The approved type, listed as TGV22000-M934, covers operation across 25 kV AC high-speed lines and 1.5 kV DC conventional routes, with the equipment needed for ETCS, TVM, KVB and other Class B train control systems.
The sign-off carries conditions. Limits on passenger load assumptions, multiple working and degraded pantograph use on high-speed lines are tied to further evidence requirements, and will only be lifted as the first trains move through final certification and enter service.
The international variants — 15 sets for Italy, 15 for Franco-Belgian services and 30 for Eurostar — are not covered. Each requires its own approval process and test running outside France.
Service timeline pushed back again
SNCF has stopped giving a public date for commercial entry into service. The revised expectation is seven to eight sets operating by September, with 13 in service by the end of 2026 — provided Alstom holds its production rate.
The programme has slipped repeatedly since its original 2022 target, through the Paris Olympics and two further revised dates, before landing at the current position: approved in principle, timetable open.
Martin Sion, who took over as Alstom CEO in April 2026 with an explicit mandate to resolve the company’s delivery crisis, now has his first regulatory milestone. The harder question — when the trains actually carry passengers — remains unanswered.
Italy entry depends on a separate approval not yet started
SNCF’s Italy ambition runs on the same platform. The operator plans to launch services on the Turin–Naples and Turin–Venice corridors in September 2027, using 15 Avelia Horizon sets ordered for that market.
Certification trials for the Italian variant started at Bologna in November 2025. That process is separate from the French approval granted this week, and has no confirmed completion date.
The domestic green light is a prerequisite for the Italian programme. It is not, by itself, sufficient.