LGV Nord
Encyclopedia
The LGV Nord is a French
333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris
to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel
via Lille
.
With a maximum speed of 300 kilometres per hour, the line appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille. Its extensions to the north (Belgium
, the Channel Tunnel
) and the south (via the LGV Interconnexion Est) have reduced journey times to Great Britain
and Benelux
and for inter-regional trips between the Nord (Pas de Calais) region and the southeast and southwest of France.
Its route is twinned with the A1
for 130 kilometres. As it is mostly built in flat areas, the maximum incline is 25 metres per kilometre (2.5%).
Of all French high-speed lines the LGV Nord certainly sees the widest variety of high-speed rolling stock: the TGV Sud-Est, TGV Réseau, TGV Atlantique, TGV Duplex, Eurostar
, Thalys PBA and PBKA as well as the local trains. Traffic is controlled by the Lille rail traffic centre.
, 16.6 km from the Gare du Nord
on the Paris–Lille railway
line. At Vémars
, the LGV Interconnexion Est joins it via a triangular junction, leading to Charles de Gaulle Airport
and Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy; this enables direct trains from London
and Amsterdam
to Disneyland Paris.
After passing east of the forest of Ermenonville
over the viaduc de Verberie, it joins the A1
around Chevrières
and accompanies it to the Lille
suburbs.
At Ablaincourt-Pressoir
(Somme
), a new station, Haute-Picardie
, is served only by inter-regional TGVs. At Croisilles
, Pas-de-Calais, a junction leads to the Agny
link towards Arras. The LGV crosses the A1 autoroute at Seclin
(Nord).
At Fretin
, a triangular junction links the LGV to the Lille-Brussels
HSL 1
high-speed line eastwards, crossing the border at Wannehain
and joining the conventional network at Lembeek
, south of Brussels. After the Fretin junction, the LGV has a connection to the conventional network at Lezennes
, near Lille. This junction is used for TGVs going to Lille-Flandres
. All TGVs and some Eurostars stop at Lille-Europe
. Non-stop Eurostars pass through a tunnel under the city of Lille at 200 km/h.
The line passes south of Armentières
and north of Hazebrouck
. At Cassel, a link provides a connection with Dunkirk. The LGV continues west, crossing the A26 autoroute
at Zouafques and ends at Calais-Fréthun
, at the Eurotunnel
terminal. This enables TGV service to Calais
and Eurostars through the Channel Tunnel
to London
. The TGVs continue to Calais-Ville or reverse and go on to Boulogne-sur-Mer
.
The route was much criticised, particularly by those in the Picardie
region. The LGV crosses the region without a stop; Amiens
in particular would have liked to have been on the line. The government judged a route via Amiens to be impracticable, as the Lille route demanded a straight line between Paris and Lille in order to give a reasonable Paris-Lille-London journey time. The LGV Picardie project would address this issue by serving Amiens, and would reduce the Paris-London journey time to less than 2 hours.
1 Haute-Picardie station has been nicknamed "Gare des Betteraves" or "Beetroot Station," since it is located in the middle of nowhere and only accessible by good road connections. Amiens
wanted a station closer to the town centre, stopping at Gare d'Amiens
.
² Arras station is reached via a branch of the LGV Nord that splits off near the village of Croisilles
.
(the owners of the Channel Tunnel) announced that it was prepared to start relaxing the fire safety regulations, in order to permit other operators, such as Deutsche Bahn, to transport passengers via the Tunnel using other forms of rolling stock via LGV Nord. Under the deregulation of European railway service, high-speed lines were opened up to open access on 1 January 2010; the Inter-Governmental Commission on the Channel Tunnel (IGC) announced that it was considering relaxing the safety requirements concerning train splitting. LCR suggested that high-speed rail services between London and Cologne could commence before the 2012 Olympics. As of March 2010 Eurotunnel, High Speed 1, DB and other interested train operators formed a working group to discuss changes to the safety rules, including allowing DB's 200-metre trains through the tunnel on a Frankfurt to London service.
Deutsche Bahn hope to run an ICE 3 train through the Channel Tunnel on 19 October 2010, in preparation for possible future operations. The current Velaro ICE3 sets do not meet the fire safety requirements necessary for the carriage of passengers through the Channel Tunnel, but the Siemens Velaro D sets on order include the necessary additional fire-proofing. DB are considering a Frankfurt to London service which could start in 2013 taking about 4 to 5 hours with stops at Cologne and Brussels.
indicated a desire to take advantage of the change in the law and apply to run rail services, in cooperation with Veolia, from London to Paris and from Paris to Amsterdam in competition with Eurostar and Thalys, respectively, with the intention of purchasing or leasing a number of the new AGV
multiple units currently being tested.
However in October 2009, Air France withdrew its interest. This led to Veolia looking for new partners, with the announcement that it would begin working on new proposals in cooperation with Trenitalia
to run services from Paris to Strasbourg, London and Brussels.
Spanish railway operator RENFE
has also shown an interest in running AVE
services from Spain to London via Paris, Lyon
, Barcelona and Madrid once its AVE
network is connected to France via the Barcelona to Figueras and Perpignan to Figueras lines in 2012.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
via Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
With a maximum speed of 300 kilometres per hour, the line appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille. Its extensions to the north (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
) and the south (via the LGV Interconnexion Est) have reduced journey times to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
and for inter-regional trips between the Nord (Pas de Calais) region and the southeast and southwest of France.
Its route is twinned with the A1
A1 autoroute (France)
The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of , it connects Paris with the northern city of Lille. It is managed by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France...
for 130 kilometres. As it is mostly built in flat areas, the maximum incline is 25 metres per kilometre (2.5%).
Of all French high-speed lines the LGV Nord certainly sees the widest variety of high-speed rolling stock: the TGV Sud-Est, TGV Réseau, TGV Atlantique, TGV Duplex, Eurostar
British Rail Class 373
The British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel...
, Thalys PBA and PBKA as well as the local trains. Traffic is controlled by the Lille rail traffic centre.
Route
The LGV Nord begins at Arnouville-lès-GonesseArnouville-lès-Gonesse
Arnouville is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.Previously known as Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, the name was officially changed to Arnouville on 1 July 2010.-Population:-References:** -External links:* * *...
, 16.6 km from the Gare du Nord
Gare du Nord
Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
on the Paris–Lille railway
Paris–Lille railway
The railway from Paris to Lille is an important French 251-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the northern French city Lille. Branch lines offer connections to Belgium and Great Britain. As one of the first railway lines in France, it was opened on 20 June 1846...
line. At Vémars
Vémars
Vémars is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department and Île-de-France region of France.-References:** -External links:* *...
, the LGV Interconnexion Est joins it via a triangular junction, leading to Charles de Gaulle Airport
Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's largest airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
and Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy; this enables direct trains from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to Disneyland Paris.
After passing east of the forest of Ermenonville
Ermenonville
Ermenonville is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.Ermenonville is notable for its park named for Jean-Jacques Rousseau by René Louis de Girardin...
over the viaduc de Verberie, it joins the A1
A1 autoroute (France)
The A1 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Nord , is the busiest of France's autoroutes. With a length of , it connects Paris with the northern city of Lille. It is managed by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France...
around Chevrières
Chevrières, Oise
Chevrières is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-References:*...
and accompanies it to the Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
suburbs.
At Ablaincourt-Pressoir
Ablaincourt-Pressoir
Ablaincourt-Pressoir is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.The two villages were formerly separately administered, but were joined in 1966.-Geography:...
(Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
), a new station, Haute-Picardie
Gare TGV Haute-Picardie
TGV Haute-Picardie is a railway station on the LGV Nord-Europe between Lille and Paris. Geographically, it is located about ten kilometers west of Péronne, between the towns of Saint Quentin and Amiens. When built, it was criticised by the press for being too far from any of the towns to be useful...
, is served only by inter-regional TGVs. At Croisilles
Croisilles, Pas-de-Calais
Croisilles is a village and commune in the Pas-de-Calais department of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A small farming village located 8 miles south of Arras at the junction of the D5 and D9 roads...
, Pas-de-Calais, a junction leads to the Agny
Agny
Agny is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:A farming village located 3 miles southwest of Arras, at the D3 and D60 road junction.-History:...
link towards Arras. The LGV crosses the A1 autoroute at Seclin
Seclin
Seclin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole.Ghana national football team footballer Andre Ayew was born in Seclin.-Twin towns — Sister cities:...
(Nord).
Fretin
-References:*...
, a triangular junction links the LGV to the Lille-Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
HSL 1
HSL 1
The HSL 1 is a Belgian high speed rail line which connects Brussels with LGV Nord at the border with France. It is long with 71 km of dedicated high-speed tracks and 17 km of modernised lines. Service began on 14 December 1997....
high-speed line eastwards, crossing the border at Wannehain
Wannehain
-References:*...
and joining the conventional network at Lembeek
Lembeek
Lembeek is a village with a population of 7 256 in the municipality of Halle, Belgium.-Location:It is situated to the south-west of the city of Halle, close to the 'language border' - the boundary between the Flemish Region and Wallonia....
, south of Brussels. After the Fretin junction, the LGV has a connection to the conventional network at Lezennes
Lezennes
Lezennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:* -External links:* *...
, near Lille. This junction is used for TGVs going to Lille-Flandres
Gare de Lille-Flandres
Lille-Flandres is the main station of the city of Lille, France. It is a terminus for SNCF Intercity and regional trains and was named Flandres in 1993 when Lille-Europe station opened....
. All TGVs and some Eurostars stop at Lille-Europe
Gare de Lille-Europe
Lille-Europe is a railway station station in Lille, France. This station is primarily used for high-speed Eurostar and TGV services although some regional trains also call at the station....
. Non-stop Eurostars pass through a tunnel under the city of Lille at 200 km/h.
The line passes south of Armentières
Armentières
Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
and north of Hazebrouck
Hazebrouck
-Communications:The town enjoys excellent rail connections, with frequent daily services to Lille and Paris, some by High Speed Line. There is a small international airport, concentrating on business flights, at Merville-Calonne just 12 kilometre / 8 miles away...
. At Cassel, a link provides a connection with Dunkirk. The LGV continues west, crossing the A26 autoroute
A26 autoroute
The A26 is a long French motorway connecting Calais and Troyes. It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais as it is the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the Channel Tunnel to most parts of France and often contains large numbers of British cars, particularly during the summer...
at Zouafques and ends at Calais-Fréthun
Gare de Calais-Fréthun
Calais-Fréthun is a mainline and international railway station in the suburbs of Calais, France, one of three stations serving the town. the other two are Calais-Ville in the town centre and Gare des Fontinettes in the suburbs....
, at the Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
terminal. This enables TGV service to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
and Eurostars through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The TGVs continue to Calais-Ville or reverse and go on to Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
.
The route was much criticised, particularly by those in the Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
region. The LGV crosses the region without a stop; Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in particular would have liked to have been on the line. The government judged a route via Amiens to be impracticable, as the Lille route demanded a straight line between Paris and Lille in order to give a reasonable Paris-Lille-London journey time. The LGV Picardie project would address this issue by serving Amiens, and would reduce the Paris-London journey time to less than 2 hours.
Stations
The LGV Nord serves the following stations:- Gare du NordGare du NordParis Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
(Paris) - Gare TGV Haute-PicardieGare TGV Haute-PicardieTGV Haute-Picardie is a railway station on the LGV Nord-Europe between Lille and Paris. Geographically, it is located about ten kilometers west of Péronne, between the towns of Saint Quentin and Amiens. When built, it was criticised by the press for being too far from any of the towns to be useful...
1 - Gare d'ArrasGare d'ArrasGare d'Arras is a railway station serving the town Arras, Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It is situated on the Paris–Lille railway, is the origin of the Arras-Dunkirk railway and accessible from LGV Nord.-Services:-References:* *...
² - Gare de Lille-EuropeGare de Lille-EuropeLille-Europe is a railway station station in Lille, France. This station is primarily used for high-speed Eurostar and TGV services although some regional trains also call at the station....
- Gare de Calais-FréthunGare de Calais-FréthunCalais-Fréthun is a mainline and international railway station in the suburbs of Calais, France, one of three stations serving the town. the other two are Calais-Ville in the town centre and Gare des Fontinettes in the suburbs....
1 Haute-Picardie station has been nicknamed "Gare des Betteraves" or "Beetroot Station," since it is located in the middle of nowhere and only accessible by good road connections. Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
wanted a station closer to the town centre, stopping at Gare d'Amiens
Gare d'Amiens
Gare d'Amiens is the main station for the Northern French city of Amiens.The station opened on 15 March 1847 when the line to Abbeville opened to passengers. The station building was subsequently replaced by the present structure following the allied bombardment and was built in 1955 by Auguste...
.
² Arras station is reached via a branch of the LGV Nord that splits off near the village of Croisilles
Croisilles, Pas-de-Calais
Croisilles is a village and commune in the Pas-de-Calais department of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A small farming village located 8 miles south of Arras at the junction of the D5 and D9 roads...
.
History
- 29 September 1989: declaration of public utilityDéclaration d'utilité publiqueA Déclaration d'utilité publique, or declaration of public utility, is a formal recognition that a proposed project has public benefits. Many large construction projects in France, especially relating to infrastructure, must achieve DUP before work can begin....
- 2 September 1991: commencement of tracklaying
- 9 September 1992: catenary in service
- 20 October 1992: first trials with TGV Atlantique trainset 301
- 23 May 1993: service commences between Paris and ArrasArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
- 21 December 1993: TGV 7150 from Valenciennes to Paris, operated by set 511, derailed at 300 km/h (186 mph) at the site of TGV Haute Picardie station (before it was built). Rain had caused a hole to open up under the track; the hole dated from the First World War but had not been detected during construction. The front power car and the front four carriages derailed, but remained aligned with the track. Out of the 200 passengers, one was slightly injured.
- The line was designed to facilitate European connections. The foreseen opening of the Channel TunnelChannel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
made it a project of the utmost urgency, leading to an acceleration of work. It opened in 1993, a year before the tunnel, from Arnouville to Fréthun; the Belgian section followed in 1997. - The LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
-Lille connection by TGV began in 1984, using conventional lines between the Ile-de-FranceÎle-de-France (région)Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
and LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
From Paris
- ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
1:00/24 - Paris-DouaiDouai-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
1:09/10 - Paris-ValenciennesValenciennesValenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
1:42/10 - Paris-ArrasArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
0:49/9 - Paris-Dunkirk 1:38/9
- Paris-LensLens, Pas-de-CalaisLens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
1:05/7 - Paris-BéthuneBéthuneBéthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...
1:15/7 - Paris-CalaisCalaisCalais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
1:23/5 - Paris-CambraiCambraiCambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
1:40/1 - Paris-St-Omer 1:56/1
- Paris-BoulogneBoulogne-sur-Mer-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
1:57/1
Inter-regional
- LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
-Lille 2:48/11 - Lyon-ArrasArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
2:46/3 - Lyon-BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
3:40/2 - NantesNantesNantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
-Lille 3:53/4 - RennesRennesRennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
-Lille 3:49/4 - BordeauxBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
-Lille 5:00/5
International
- Paris-LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
2:15/14 - Paris-BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
1:20/27 - Paris-Liège 2:10/8
- Paris-CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
3:14/7 - Paris-AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
3:18/8 - LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
-LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1:20/10
Future services
At present, only Deutsche Bahn has applied for use of the line and in 2009 regulations were relaxed to allow its trains to use the channel tunnel. Other proposals are yet to be formalised.Deutsche Bahn
In 2009, EurotunnelEurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
(the owners of the Channel Tunnel) announced that it was prepared to start relaxing the fire safety regulations, in order to permit other operators, such as Deutsche Bahn, to transport passengers via the Tunnel using other forms of rolling stock via LGV Nord. Under the deregulation of European railway service, high-speed lines were opened up to open access on 1 January 2010; the Inter-Governmental Commission on the Channel Tunnel (IGC) announced that it was considering relaxing the safety requirements concerning train splitting. LCR suggested that high-speed rail services between London and Cologne could commence before the 2012 Olympics. As of March 2010 Eurotunnel, High Speed 1, DB and other interested train operators formed a working group to discuss changes to the safety rules, including allowing DB's 200-metre trains through the tunnel on a Frankfurt to London service.
Deutsche Bahn hope to run an ICE 3 train through the Channel Tunnel on 19 October 2010, in preparation for possible future operations. The current Velaro ICE3 sets do not meet the fire safety requirements necessary for the carriage of passengers through the Channel Tunnel, but the Siemens Velaro D sets on order include the necessary additional fire-proofing. DB are considering a Frankfurt to London service which could start in 2013 taking about 4 to 5 hours with stops at Cologne and Brussels.
Veolia
In September 2008, Air France-KLMAir France-KLM
Air France-KLM is a European airline holding company incorporated under French law with its headquarters at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, Paris...
indicated a desire to take advantage of the change in the law and apply to run rail services, in cooperation with Veolia, from London to Paris and from Paris to Amsterdam in competition with Eurostar and Thalys, respectively, with the intention of purchasing or leasing a number of the new AGV
Automotrice à grande vitesse
The Automotrice à grande vitesse ' is an Alstom train intended as the successor to France’s TGV high-speed trains; the name stands for automotrice à grande vitesse, or ‘high-speed self-propelled carriage’...
multiple units currently being tested.
However in October 2009, Air France withdrew its interest. This led to Veolia looking for new partners, with the announcement that it would begin working on new proposals in cooperation with Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
to run services from Paris to Strasbourg, London and Brussels.
Renfe
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
has also shown an interest in running AVE
AVE
Alta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
services from Spain to London via Paris, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Barcelona and Madrid once its AVE
AVE
Alta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
network is connected to France via the Barcelona to Figueras and Perpignan to Figueras lines in 2012.
See also
- HSL 1HSL 1The HSL 1 is a Belgian high speed rail line which connects Brussels with LGV Nord at the border with France. It is long with 71 km of dedicated high-speed tracks and 17 km of modernised lines. Service began on 14 December 1997....
- TGVTGVThe TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
- EurostarEurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
- High Speed 1
- High-speed rail in France