Corail is the name given to a class of passenger rail cars of the SNCF that first entered commercial service in 1975. When introduced, the Corail carriages had improved passenger comfort, featured air-conditioning, and better levels of suspension and sound-proofing compared with previous InterCity carriages.[citation needed]

History and design

Interior of second class Corail coach, about 1976
Corail B5uxh control car

The acquisition of the Corail coaches was a huge investment for SNCF with nearly 4000 carriages ordered, and represented a major leap in quality of service for French rail passengers. The name Corail, which is also used as a designation of service for trains made up of these carriages, derives from combination of 'comfort' and 'rail'. Additionally, 'corail' means 'coral' in French, giving a play-on-words and making it memorable.

The carriages were designed by the French industrial designer Roger Tallon and built by the Société Franco-Belge in Raismes, northern France,[1] and by Alstom's La Rochelle factory in Aytré.[2]

When introduced, Corail carriages were painted in two tones of grey with a sharp flash of orange on the doors. Corail carriages were used throughout France on non-TGV locomotive-hauled services.

Their use was reduced with the development and introduction of the TGV. As the TGV network has expanded, Corail trains were cascaded down onto regional services.

The SNCF responded by beginning to modernise the fleet in 1996. A new livery and refurbished interior was introduced as part of the "Corail Plus" programme. The orange doors become green for second class and red for first. These refurbishments of mainline Corail trains were soon considered to be insufficient, and in 2003 three heavily refurbished and re-fitted cars were revealed in Paris as the new Téoz, featuring multicoloured exterior colour schemes and heavily modernised interiors; refurbished and upgraded Téoz trains were deployed on trunk routes where no TGV services operate.

Buffet coaches do not operate anymore,[when?] however a mobile catering service using trolleys is offered on some Téoz services. On night services, a vending machine is located in the so-called "voiture service".

Lunéa night trains operate on a number of domestic routes, offering a first and second class couchette service. Passengers travel in compartments of four or six bunks, and are provided with a pillow, lightweight bedsheet and blanket. Most Lunéa services also convey reclining seats cars.

Between 2004 and 2008 Alstom rebuilt some 2nd class cars with baggage compartments into new B5uxh cab-cars. Most of the vehicles were still in service in 2008.

Surplus carriages were sold to regional councils to be used for TER regional services.[when?] Certain regions use Corail coaches rated for 200 km/h (124 mph) operation (the rest are limited to 160 km/h (99 mph)) to operate fast regional services known as TER 200.

Current services

As of March 2025 the carriages are used on the following services:

Routes using Corail carriages
Operator From To Locomotive Train numbers
Ouigo Train Classique Paris-Austerlitz Nantes BB 22200 407x
408x
Ouigo Train Classique Paris-Austerlitz Rennes BB 22200 409x
Intercités Paris-Austerlitz Limoges-Bénédictins
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Cahors
Toulouse-Matabiau
BB 7200
BB 22200
BB 26000
36xx
Intercités Bordeaux-Saint-Jean
Toulouse-Matabiau
Marseille-Saint-Charles BB 7200
BB 22200
BB 26000
46xx
Intercités Paris-Bercy Clermont-Ferrand BB 26000 59xx
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Tarbes BB 7200 37xx
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Latour-de-Carol – Enveitg BB 7200 397x
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Toulouse-Matabiau BB 7200 375x
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Rodez
Albi-Ville
BB 75300 375x
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Aurillac BB 75300 37xx
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Briançon BB 75300 57xx
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Nice-Ville BB 26000 57xx
Intercités de nuit Paris-Austerlitz Cerbère BB 7200 574x
TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Marseille-Saint-Charles Nice-Ville BB 22200RC 174xx
TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Marseille-Saint-Charles Lyon-Part-Dieu BB 22200RC 1770x
TER Centre-Val de Loire Paris-Austerlitz Orléans BB 7200 8605xx
TER Centre-Val de Loire Paris-Montparnasse Le Mans BB 7200 8625xx
TER Grand Est Paris-Est Strasbourg BB 26000R 8391xx
TER Grand Est Paris-Est Saint-Dizier BB 26000R 8391xx
TER Grand Est Strasbourg Sarrebourg
Nancy-Ville
BB 26000R 830xxx
835xxx
TER Grand Est Strasbourg Metz-Ville BB 26000R 8303xx
TER Grand Est Strasbourg Bâle CFF BB 26000R 962xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Genève-Cornavin Chambéry – Challes-les-Eaux
Grenoble
Valence-Ville
BB 22200R 966xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Annecy
Chambéry – Challes-les-Eaux
Grenoble
Valence-Ville
BB 22200R 175xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Annecy
Aix-les-Bains – Le Revard
Lyon-Part-Dieu BB 22200R 179xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Dijon-Ville Lyon-Part-Dieu BB 7200R
BB 22200R
177xx
178xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Lyon-Perrache Lons-le-Saunier BB 7200R
BB 22200R
8959xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Lyon-Part-Dieu
Aix-les-Bains – Le Revard
Bourg-Saint-Maurice BB 22200R 8831xx
8832xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Lyon-Part-Dieu
Chambéry – Challes-les-Eaux
Modane BB 7200R
BB 22200R
8833xx
8834xx
TER Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Lyon-Part-Dieu Chambéry – Challes-les-Eaux BB 22200R 185xx

See also

References

  1. ^ Domus (in French), Casa ed. Domus, 1977, p. 35
  2. ^ Journal de la marine marchande et de la navigation aérienne (in French), vol. 60, 1978, p. 100, En 1975, l'usine Alsthom d'Aytré (prés de La Rochelle) avait reçu de la SNCF la commande de 1800 voitures « Corail »
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