SNCF TGV Thalys PBKA


The Thalys PBKA is a variant of the TGV POS high-speed trainset. It is operated by Thalys between Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam, forming the abbreviation PBKA.
The PBKA sets were the first TGV POS sets to be built, and are therefore the oldest trains on the LGV to incorporate the second-generation TGV locomotives, which have rounded ends and put out 8,800 kW of power. These locomotives have since found their ways into the TGV Duplex. They have eight carriages and are 200 m long, weighing a total of 385 tonnes. They have a capacity of 377 seats.
All of the trains are quadri-current, capable of operating under , 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC, 3 kV DC and 1.5 kV DC.
Their maximum speed in regular service is 300 km/h under 25 kV, with two power cars supplying 8,800 kW. When operating under 15 kV AC or 1,500 V DC, the power output drops to 3,680 kW, insufficient to reach 300 km/h in commercial use. Although their power-to-weight ratio allows a 250 km/h operation under 15 kV AC, further constraints resulted in imposing a limit of 200 km/h on these trains in Germany.
Seventeen trains were ordered: nine by SNCB/NMBS, six by SNCF and two by NS. Deutsche Bahn contributed to financing two of the SNCB sets.

Fleet details