TER trains (finally) renovated on the Paris-Chartres-Le Mans line

2023-06-19 13:02:31

Mouse gray and electric blue seats, imitation wood armrests, a socket in each row to recharge your smartphone, button in relief: welcome to the first renovated TER 2Nng in the Center – Val-de-Loire. The train, with a capacity of 450 passengers, comes into circulation this Monday morning on the SNCF Paris-Chartres-Le Mans line.

A brand new train. The exterior sports the latest colors of the Rémi network and inside, the clarity and cleanliness of the train suggest that the wagon comes from the factory. “It’s a train from the Alstom-Bombarbier group, it dates from 2004,” says Pierre Lerat, rolling stock expert at SNCF Voyageurs.

Here, it is a real makeover that has been carried out to refresh the train after nineteen years of service, by the teams of the industrial technicentre of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Indre-et-Loire). “We have treated the exterior hulls with new paint, but also all the interior fittings, new seats, new windows, new floors and ceilings, everything has been reviewed on board”, lists the technician.

Dim lighting will be provided between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. to improve commuter comfort. “Some travelers disconnected the lights to end their night (…) We thus meet their need for rest”, notes Pierre Lerat.

Greener… of course

This heavy maintenance operation also makes it possible to ensure the condition and proper functioning of the parts used such as “access doors, traction and braking systems, air conditioning”, lists the rolling stock expert. Thanks to this cure, “the TER 2Nng trains will thus be able to circulate for another fifteen to twenty years on our lines”, welcomes Hélène Marquet, director of the TER Centre-Val de Loire for SNCF Voyageurs.

“It’s more ecological because we reuse the material, and we reinforce the environmental performance of the train with LED lighting that replaces neon tubes and halogen lamps, not to mention an economy mode for air conditioning. It’s also more economical because renovation costs less than investing in new equipment,” promises Hélène Marquet.

Twelve similar trains will run on the line within four years. LP/Christophe Blondel

By summer 2027, twelve TER 2Nng trains, running on the Paris-Chartres-Le Mans line, will be renovated in this way. 57.2 million euros have been invested by the Centre-Val de Loire region for this renovation programme. “To meet the challenge of the 21st century and the current rail challenge, I would like the State to have the same ambition on infrastructure”, tackles Philippe Fournié, vice-president of the Center – Val-Val region. de-Loire delegate for transport, mobility and intermodality.

In France, this makeover for rolling stock concerns 931 trains, or 40% of the national TER fleet, at a potential cost of three billion euros.