The TGV Duplex is a French high-speed train of the TGV family, manufactured by Alstom, and operated by the French national railway company SNCF. They were the first TGV trainsets to use bi-level passenger carriages with a seating capacity of 508 passengers, increasing capacity on busy high-speed lines. While the TGV Duplex started as a small component of the TGV fleet, it has become one of the system's workhorses.
TGV Duplex traveling to Paris from Modane and passing in Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte, Savoie, France
First class on a TGV Duplex
Bi-level carriages allow 45% more capacity than in a single level TGV.
Réseau Duplex on the LGV Méditerranée
The ICE 2 is the second series of German high-speed trains and one of six in the Intercity-Express family since 1995. The ICE 2 (half-) trains are even closer to a conventional push–pull train than the ICE 1, because each train consists of only one locomotive, six passenger cars and a cab car. The maximum speed is 280 km/h (175 mph), but this is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph) when the cab car is leading the train and even further down to 160 km/h (100 mph) when two units are coupled at the powerheads due to the forces on the overhead line by their respective pantographs.
ICE 2 on the Nuremberg-Ingolstadt high-speed railway line
ICE 2 powerhead with opened coupling cover
Control Panel in the driver's cab