On Wednesday 14 September 2016, SNCF Executive Board Chairman Guillaume Pepy unveiled the new interiors of the TGV Océane at Paris-Montparnasse Vaugirard station, accompanied by SNCF Voyageurs CEO Florence Parly and Voyages SNCF Managing Director Rachel Picard.

The new TGV Océane has a total of 556 seats, 158 in first class and 398 in standard - 22% more than a TGV Atlantique - and a maximum speed of 320 km/h.
The new seats in both first and standard class have been designed to meet our travellers’ changing needs and habits, whatever their shape and size, and offer a cosy, secluded space in which to travel.
The first thing that strikes the traveller upon boarding the swish new trains is the lighting, which has been revamped for a natural, restful ambiance. Meanwhile, warm, muted colours and materials such as wood and leather round off the mellow, welcoming atmosphere, making comfort a reality at all levels: visual, thermal, acoustic, and physical.

There is greater customer focus in the shape of new onboard services:

• Revamped under-seat luggage space allows travellers to keep cases or bags close at hand.

• New bicycle facility accommodating up to two travellers plus bicycle.
• Dedicated nursery (baby-changing) area.

• Improved access for passengers with reduced mobility: four wheelchair spaces (two transferrable), each equipped with a call button to summon assistance if need be.
• Waste separation bins for travellers to dispose of and recycle rubbish.

• Wi-Fi will be available on the new trains from 2017. A contract has been signed with Orange to fit all TGV Océane trains with a next-generation onboard fibre-optic backbone and lineside 4G coverage. Customers will be able to use the internet for free by connecting to “Wi-Fi SNCF”.

• The bar area has been restyled using natural light wood, creating an attractive setting which makes the traveller want to linger.

• The onboard passenger information system will display on-screen details of the journey in real time, both in normal circumstances (stops, speed, travel time remaining) and in disrupted situations (causes and consequences of the disruption).

• Moreover, an “information point” with two seats will be available for customers to consult the train manager during the journey.

Four trainsets are planned to be delivered by December 2016. The first TGV Océane trainset will begin operating to Bordeaux and Toulouse as of 11 December 2016, with the fleet growing gradually thereafter to a total of 17 trainsets by 2 July 2017, when the new high speed line opens for service. 33 trainsets are planned by the end of 2018, with the fleet growing to 40 trainsets by the end of 2019 (with SNCF providing 1.2 billion euros in financing).

(Source: SNCF)