The TGV Atlantique is a class of high-speed trains used in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 by SNCF

SNCF

The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...

; they were built by Alstom

Alstom

Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

 between 1988 and 1992, and were the second generation of TGV

TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....

 trains, following on from the TGV Sud-Est

SNCF TGV Sud-Est

The SNCF TGV Sud-Est or TGV-PSE is a French TGV train built by Alstom and operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. It is a semi-permanently coupled electric multiple unit which operates primarily between Paris and the south-east of France....

.

105 bi-current sets, numbered 301-405, were built for the opening of the LGV Atlantique

LGV Atlantique

The LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...

. Entry into service began in 1989. They are 237.5 m (779.2 ft) long and 2.904 metre wide. They weigh 444 t (437 LT), and are made up of two power cars and ten carriages with a total of 485 seats. They were built for a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) with 8800 kW total power under 25 kV.

Modified unit 325 set the world speed record

TGV world speed record

The TGV holds a series of world speed records achieved by SNCF, the French national railway, and its industrial partners...

 in 1990 on the new LGV before its opening. Modifications, such as improved aerodynamics

Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...

, larger wheels and improved braking were made to enable test run speeds of over 500 km/h (311 mph). The set was reduced to two power cars and three carriages to improve the power-to-weight ratio

Power-to-weight ratio

Power-to-weight ratio is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine or power sources...

, weighing 250 t (246 LT). Three carriages, including the bar carriage in the centre, is the minimum possible configuration because of the way the sets are articulated.

The TGV Atlantique's world record was beaten on the 3 April 2007, by a TGV POS set on the LGV Est

LGV Est

The LGV Est européenne is an extension to the French high-speed rail network, connecting currently Vaires-sur-Marne and Baudrecourt , and later Vaires-sur-Marne and Vendenheim . , it is the newest high-speed line in France and still under construction, with of a planned in service...

, which reached a top speed of 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph).

Fleet details

Class	Number in service	Year built	Operator	Current units	Notes
Series 24000	105	1988 – 1992	SNCF	301-405	Bicurrent