French TGV network development

Abstract

The 1981 opening of the French TGV SudEst linking Paris and Lyon was a milestone in both the history of transportation and the history of railways with similar importance to the 1964 unveiling of the shinkansen in Japan. Since that first ‘bullet train,’ high-speed rail has continued to enjoy great technical and commercial success in all countries that have adopted the technology. Not only is high-speed rail fast, it has also proved to be a safe, comfortable and efficient transport mode for the general population. In short, it has revitalized railway transport and has become a symbol of modern society. High-speed rail is a well-proven system that has become a landmark in world transport and railway history. The TGV Sud-Est was Europe’s first high-speed line and there is no doubt about the TGV’s technical excellence after the world wheel-on-rail speed record of 515.3 km/h was set in 1990 on the south-western section of the TGV Atlantique. The 20 years from 1981 to 2001 have seen the progressive opening of the TGV Atlantique (1990), the TGV Nord Europe (1993), and the TGV Mediterranee (2001), substantiating the reliability of the TGV technologies in actual operations. This article discusses the high-speed railway in France with focus on past development of the TGV network, the present construction of the TGV Est, and future prospects based on the French master plan for high-speed railways adopted in December 2003.

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