New French high-speed train

The designers from the AREP group and the Japanese agency NENDO joined forces in 2018 to design the line of the new TGV train that will be in service from 2026. The Flow Train represents a new experience in the railway environment, from the front of the train to its interior fittings. The concept reflects the train’s ecological ambition and AREP’s commitment to a post-carbon design.

Our two agencies have formed a joint project team to maximise synergies between designers and with the teams from Alstom and SNCF Voyageurs. They have adopted an iterative method including user tests, atmosphere workshops and prototyping phases at Alstom in La Rochelle.

This approach enables them to work step by step to scrutinise the project in the light of the requirements of a high-use industrial design object, always bearing in mind the flow, the initial concept of the project. The ‘flow’ is based on a simple idea: the train is unlike any other means of transport, it carves its way through the landscape, a bit like a river flowing. The concept thus plays with a fluid horizon line that runs through all the elements, gives a horizon, reinforces the perspective and evokes the surface of the water.

All the interiors and details have been redesigned with a central theme: comfort. The idea was to take a fresh look, to introduce a lasting break in the railway world and to re-enchant a technical and industrial environment in order to create a softer and more personal bubble of comfort in a shared space.

These developments also reflect the ecological qualities of the train and our commitment to a post-carbon design. 97% of the materials used are recyclable. On the outside, light colours reinforce the albedo and reduce energy consumption in summer.