The TGV La Poste were dedicated trainsets for high-speed freight and mail transportation by French railway company SNCF on behalf of the French postal carrier La Poste. The top speed of this TGV Sud-Est derivate was , making them the fastest freight trains in the world. They were withdrawn in 2015.
Services The trainsets were built by Alstom between 1978 and 1986. These TGV units are essentially TGV Sud-Est trainsets that are modified for transporting mail. 5 half-trainsets were built, numbered 1–5. A further two, numbered 6 and 7, were converted from former TGV-SE trainset no. 38. Each half-trainset consisted of a power car and four intermediate-trailers.
In 2009, La Poste reduced services from 8 to 6 daily round trips.
On 21 March 2012 a demonstration freight train ran to London-St Pancras, but there was no follow-up.
In mid-2015, La Poste ended TGV postal services, shifting mail services to swap bodies instead as part of a major logistics restructuring and expansion which the trainsets were not capable of handling. Additionally, the demand for fast overnight mail services has been decreasing in recent years. The final service was on 27 June 2015 between Cavaillon (Marseille) and Charolais (Paris). La Poste originally was seeking a buyer for the fleet, however in December 2016 three trainsets were dismantled by SME (Société Métallurgique d'Épernay)Rapport de présentation 'Prestations de démantèlement de rames Tgv postal'. G Chan Liat (in French). 3 September 2016 leaving only a half spare trainset left.
Fleet details ClassNumber in serviceYear builtOperatorCurrent unitsNotesSeries 9230002.5 (5 half-sets)1981La PosteP1-P51 (2 half-sets)1984P6-P7Rebuilt from SNCF TGV Sud-Est passenger trainset no. 38
See also British Rail Class 325, postal EMUs used in Britain FS Class ETR 500, in freight operation since October, 2018. Maximum speed is , average speed is .
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