TheTGV POSis aTGVtrain built byFrenchmanufacturerAlstomwhich is operated by the French national rail company, theSNCF,in France'shigh-speed rail lines.It was originally ordered by the SNCF for use on theLGV Est,which was put into service in 2007. POS is an abbreviation ofParis-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland(English:Paris, Eastern France, Southern Germany), the route of the LGV Est.[1]

TGV POS
SNCFTGV Lyria4403 atSatignyrunning from Genève to Paris Gare de Lyon
In service2006
ManufacturerAlstom
ReplacedTGV Sud-Est
Number built38 motor cars
Formation2 motor cars + 8 trailers
OperatorsLyria
Lines servedLGV Est
LGV Rhin-Rhône
LGV Sud-Est
LGV Nord
Specifications
Train length200.19 m (656 ft 9 in)
WidthMotor car 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in)
Trailer 2.904 m (9 ft 6.3 in)
Height4.1 m (13 ft 5 in) (power car),
3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) (trailer)
Weight383t(377long tons;422short tons) (empty)
Acceleration≥1.7 km/(h⋅s) (1.1 mph/s)(0–100 km/h (0–62 mph)),
0.35 km/(h⋅s) (0.22 mph/s) (at 320 km/h (199 mph)), from 0 to 320 km/h (0 to 199 mph) within 5 minutes 20 seconds and 18 km (11.2 mi)[citation needed]
Electric system(s)
Current collector(s)CXPantograph
Safety system(s)TVM-430,KVB,LZB,PZB
Track gauge1,435 mm(4 ft8+12in)standard gauge

History

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The TGV POS project was a unique extension of theTGV Duplexorder. Alstom delivered to SNCF 38 new tri-current power cars and 19 sets of double-deck Duplex passenger carriages.

The tri-current power cars were paired with the 19 sets of single-level passenger carriages fromTGV Réseautrainsets, while the two-level Duplex passenger carriages were paired with the 38 dual-current power cars from the Réseau trainsets. The tri-current function was necessary for theLGV Est,which ends at the German border, where the electrification switches to the15 kV  16.7 Hz ACsystem. Meanwhile, the heavily congested lines where the Réseau trainsets were used needed the additional passenger capacity provided by the Duplex passenger carriages.

The project allowed SNCF to receive the tri-current power cars needed ahead of the opening of the LGV Est, without slowing the production of the Duplex trainsets.

The TGV POS power cars have a total power output of 9.6MW(12,874hp) under25 kV 50 Hz AC,and 6.8 MW (9,119 hp) under 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC, with a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour (199 mph) under either system.

Each TGV POS trainset weighs 383 t (377 long tons; 422 short tons) and is numbered in the 4400 series. The livery is the same as that of TGV Réseau sets (silver and blue).

From 2013 to 2019, all of the TGV POS trainsets were shifted from LGV Est to theTGV Lyriaservice (a joint-venture by SNCF and theSwiss Federal Railways) betweenFranceandSwitzerland,replacing the nineTGV Sud-Esttrainsets that had been used.

Since 2019, all TGV POS trainsets operate strictly on domestic services.

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World rail speed record

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On 3 April 2007 a train using both power cars of the TGV POS trainset number 4402 set a new world speed record for travel on conventional rails. TheProject V150train reached 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph).[2]As part of a series of increasingly faster runs that culminated in the official record attempt, it set an unofficial speed record of 554.3 km/h (344.4 mph) on 13 February 2007.[3]

Between the TGV POSpower carswere three specially modified Duplex cars. The cars closest to the locomotive were each fitted with two powered bogies, similar to theAGVprototype, providing four more powered axles than the trainset used during the 1990 TGV world speed record, and had a theoretical maximum power output of 19.6 MW (26,284 hp).

The train set ran with larger wheels, and the voltage of the overhead lines was increased to 31 kV from the standard 25 kV.[4]The maximum speed was achieved near kilometer post 193 on theLGV EstbetweenMeuseand theChampagne-ArdenneTGV stations.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"High speed: TGV POS prepares to enter service".Railway Gazette.2006-12-01.
  2. ^"French train sets new world record".NDTV.Associated Press. 2007-04-09. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-04-09.Retrieved2007-04-03.
  3. ^"French high-speed TGV breaks world conventional rail-speed record".Monsters and Critics.Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 2007-02-14. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-02-18.Retrieved2007-02-14.
  4. ^"French set new rail speed record".BBC News.2007-04-03.Retrieved2010-01-04.