SNCF TGV Sud-Est SNCF TGV Sud-Est The SNCF TGV Sud-Est or TGV-PSE is a French high speed TGV train built by Alstom and operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. It is a semi-permanently coupled electric multiple unit and was built for operation between Paris and the south-east of France. The TGV Sud-Est fleet was built between 1978 and 1988 and operated the first TGV service from Paris to Lyon in 1981. Currently there are 107 passenger sets operating, of which nine are tri-current (25 kV 50-60 Hz AC - French "lignes à grande vitesse", 1500 V DC - French "lignes classiques",
SNCF stronger 25,000 hp (18,600 kW) engine, and broke the world speed record for conventional railway trains, reaching . The SNCF has a remarkable safety record. After nearly 30 years in operation, SNCF’s TGV system has only experienced one fatal accident, during trials rather than regular operations. In 2011 SNCF in partnership with Keolis, unsuccessfully bid for the InterCity West Coast franchise. In April 2017 SNCF took a 30% shareholding in a joint venture with Stagecoach Group and Virgin Group to bid for the West Coast Partnership that will operate services on the West Coast Main Line from May 2019 and