TGV 9864 (Nice Ville-->Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid), seen at Tuileries Jct, where the Marseilles-Paris HSL branches off the conventional line.
This formation features:
- a TGV Réseau (Tri-voltage) set, at the rear, running from Nice to Brussels, and
- a TGV Duplex set (Dual-voltage) set, at the front, diagrammed as a matter of relief on Marseilles-Lille.
At this stage, this formation is already running on the HSL ("Up" track), with all pantographs down, owing to the voltage change-over (1.5kV DC--->25kV-50Hz AC).
The front half of the Duplex set is already running under 25kV.
This formation is about to enter the Marseilles HSL tunnel, currently the largest French domestic railway tunnel (7,836m).
This TGV service holds a 3-fold absolute record, as it is:
- the most veteran Brussels-French Regions TGV service, introduced on 28th May 1995;
- the largest-distance TGV service, with 1,287km-800mi throughout;
- the service which uninterruptedly cumulates the highest HSL mileage in Europe, with 1,046km-650mi of HSL from Tuileries Jct here until Lembeek (Belgium), not even switching to conventional tracks on Grenay-Sathonay to call at Lyon-Part Dieu.
Marseilles (Tuileries Jct).
29th January 2005.
P.L.Guillemin (plguillemin@yahoo.fr)