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Today, Alstom Transport unveiled a prototype of the AGV, the company’s newest generation of very high-speed trains that are designed to reach a cruising speed of 225 mph.

Sporting what Alstom terms a “futuristic and aerodynamic design,” the train will be the first to feature bogies between carriages, or an articulated architecture. The AGV also will feature a distributed drive system, with the train’s motors located on the bogies under the train to eliminate the need for a locomotive. Operators would be able to vary train lengths from seven to 14 cars — or 250 to 650 seats — depending on demand.

The AGV is designed to consume 15 percent less energy than competitors’ trains and use the latest European Rail Traffic Management System to run on all European rail lines, according to Alstom.

The car builder already has its first AGV customer: Italy’s new railway operator NTV (Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori). The agency has ordered 25 of the trains with options for 10 more, and also awarded Alstom a maintenance contract. Alstom plans to begin production in mid-2008 and begin delivering trains in 2010.