TGV M Wins European Approval and Is Scheduled for Commercial Service in September

Overview

• Late May 2026 the European rail agency (ERA) and France’s EPSF granted market authorization for the TGV M, formally allowing commercial operation.
• SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom have begun selling tickets for September journeys after moving the entry‑into‑service date from an earlier July target.
• The operators plan several weeks of pre‑commercial runs on the national network to complete last checks and integrate the first rames into timetables.
• Alstom and SNCF say the double‑deck TGV M includes about 400 innovations, raises capacity roughly 20% to 740 seats per trainset, and adds features such as onboard backup batteries and new passenger spaces.
• SNCF ordered 160 rames with a delivery schedule that starts in June and reaches six rames by the end of August, a rollout designed to limit disruption and improve energy efficiency on busy routes.