The new 'Low Cost' TGVs

[Mario_v]

SNCF has just launched a new 'Low Cost/Low fare' (à láSouthwest Airlines)TGV service. Here are some videos showing the refurbished sets that will be used in such services

watch?feature=playerembedded&v=ZVmTrGym2z4

watch?v=uvfsY5HpvnU

[John WR]

Thanks for the you tube of France's new OuiGo trains, Mario.  I think Amtrak should do the same thing--run bilevel cars with more passengers at lower fares.  That could pick up some passengers from the discount bus lines.  

John

[Mario_v]

John WR

Thanks for the you tube of France's new OuiGo trains, Mario.  I think Amtrak should do the same thing--run bilevel cars with more passengers at lower fares.  That could pick up some passengers from the discount bus lines.  

John

Travelling on these trains is really unexpensive, but when one thinks thta they leave from suburban TGV stations (that are located in the 'interconnexion' (belt line) of Paris and arrive at Lyon's airport station (far away form the city centre), and in order to reach such terminals one spends something like 22,50 € (7,50 from the center of Paris to Marne-La Vallee, via the suburban RER and then 15 from Lyon-Satolas to the city centre, via light rail) makes tgese trains far less attractive than they really could be. Reallly, I wanna go from city centre to city centre and a normal TGV, depending of the ocasion (one can still get some nice bargains in regular TGVs, besides all of it have a nice bar) might be better than the Ouigos.

As far as a similar service being put in to practice in the US, everytime I see NJTs bilevels & ALP46s, I think that such consistes could be a good option for a baseline low fare service

[oltmannd]

Mario_v

everytime I see NJTs bilevels & ALP46s, I think that such consistes could be a good option for a baseline low fare service

A lot of us here see that, too.  We wonder why Amtrak does not see it.  Their spec for new "non-Superliner" coaches is for single level equipment only.

[schlimm]

The boys at Amtrak don't even need imagination.  Just an open-mindedness about what is going on elsewhere.  Reinventing the wheel seems to be their mantra.