TGV Duplex

The TGV Duplex is the bi-level version of France's TGV high-speed train, built by Alstom and run by SNCF. Its double-deck carriages seat 508 passengers and were adopted to add capacity on the busy Paris to Lyon line, where longer or wider trains were not practical. Alstom, then GEC-Alsthom, won the contract in July 1990, the first bi-level trainset was tested in November 1994 and the first Duplex power car was coupled to the trailers on 21 June 1995. In all 160 Duplex trainsets were built: 89 originals, 19 Réseau Duplex sets created with the TGV POS project in 2006, and 52 second-generation Dasye sets delivered from 2007. Extruded aluminium keeps the axle load within the French limit of 17 tonnes. The design led to the Euroduplex.