TGV Availability, and ICE Depots

[91101]

I have only recently started dipping my toes into French and German railways but one thing that strikes me as odd is the amount of stock that they have lying about?

So far I have "cleared" Paris - Marseilles, Paris - Frankfurt, and Eurostar into Gare Du Nord, and everywhere I have seen a TGV Depot, it's always been full of rolling stock. One occasion, actually on a local trip to Melun from Gare du Lyon at about 1600 mid week, the TGV depot must have had at least 20 sets lying idle!!

Compared with passing Bounds Green, Willesden, or Old Oak, the chances of seeing that much stock on depot at peak time is inconceivable. Is there any reason for that?

Additionally, I wanted to tag on and not waste another thread, does anyone know the main locations for maintenance on the ICE sets in Germany?

 

[TGV]

It is hard to get a higher availability requirement of somewhere like Bounds Green where they need 29 out of 31 sets to make a weekday service. In reality, yes SNCF have more sets at their disposal than the likes of EC. However - what time have you passed these depots? For example, pass Bounds Green at 5pm on a weekday and it'll be nearly empty. If you pass Le Landy on a Saturday evening or Sunday, then yes, there will be quite a few sets on maintenance. However, yes SNCF have plenty of rolling stock compared to many UK operators.

 

[Golghar]

Additionally, I wanted to tag on and not waste another thread, does anyone know the main locations for maintenance on the ICE sets in Germany?

Hamburg-Eidelstedt is the place to visit. Here is a link to a site which unfortunately is only in German. You can get there by suburban train from any of the major Hamburg stations. Eidelstedt is also one of the termini of the AKN, a privately run railway integrated into the Greater Hamburg transport network.
There is another big workshop at Munich. The following is a list of depots for the different types of ICE trains. (Again, it is exclusively in German). So that would make Berlin and Frankfurt worth a visit too.

 

[Greenback]

However - what time have you passed these depots?

1600 midweek, according to his post!

Mind you it would be good to know what the situation was at other times or on other days, which is undoubtedly what you meant!

Do SNCF still run extra trains on certain days or at some holiday times? I know thye used to run a lot, which obviously does require a larger pool of stock, unlike in the UK where everything seems to be the minimum necessary to run the normal services.

 

[gordonthemoron]

ICE depots which are quite easy to get to are Munich (Lok Schuppen on Landsbergerstrasse) and Berlin (Rummelsberg) which also stores the remaining Metronom set and a DDR era highspeed train

 

[Bald Rick]

1600 midweek, according to his post!

Mind you it would be good to know what the situation was at other times or on other days, which is undoubtedly what you meant!

Do SNCF still run extra trains on certain days or at some holiday times? I know thye used to run a lot, which obviously does require a larger pool of stock, unlike in the UK where everything seems to be the minimum necessary to run the normal services.

Certainly on winter Saturdays there is a procession of TGVs in pairs heading to Bourg St Maurice.