[note 1] The class were built to fulfil both freight and passenger roles; the specifications included the ability to haul 16 Corail coaches at 200 km/h (124 mph) on a 0.25% gradient, and to haul a 2,050 t (2,018 long tons; 2,260 short tons) freight train at 80 km/h (50 mph) on a 0.88% gradient.

For speeds below 15 km/h (9.3 mph) one supply voltage reducing chopper circuit (French:hacheur) per motor bogie is used to assist control.

The power electronics of the two motor bogies are connected in parallel,[4][5] and are evaporatively cooled by boiling Freon 113.

[7] 264 of the class were ordered by SNCF, only 234 were built, the last 30 of the order were instead built as a new triple voltage design capable of also operating on 3 kV DC;[8] these used asynchronous electric motors and became the SNCF Class BB 36000 (Asytrit).

[3] In June 2000 26084 was involved in an accident caused by sabotage near Chasse-sur-Rhône, and is no longer in service.