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SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français) (French National Railway) is a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 public enterprise. Its functions include operation of rail services for passengers and freight, and maintenance as well as signalling of rail infrastructure owned by RFF
Réseau Ferré de France

R?seau Ferr? de France , also known as RFF, is the company that owns and maintains the France national railway network. The trains themselves are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to new European Union rules, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure....
 (Réseau Ferré de France). It employs about 180,000 people. The rail network consists of about 32,000 km
Kilometre

The kilometre , symbol km is a Units of measurement of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres.Slang terms for kilometre include click and kay ....
 of route, of which 1,800 km is high-speed
TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, the French national rail transport operations, and is now operated primarily by SNCF....
 line and 14,500 km is electrified
Railway electrification system

A Railway electrification system supplies Electric potential energy to railway locomotives and multiple units so that they can operate without having an on-board Prime mover ....
.






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SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français) (French National Railway) is a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 public enterprise. Its functions include operation of rail services for passengers and freight, and maintenance as well as signalling of rail infrastructure owned by RFF
Réseau Ferré de France

R?seau Ferr? de France , also known as RFF, is the company that owns and maintains the France national railway network. The trains themselves are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to new European Union rules, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure....
 (Réseau Ferré de France). It employs about 180,000 people. The rail network consists of about 32,000 km
Kilometre

The kilometre , symbol km is a Units of measurement of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres.Slang terms for kilometre include click and kay ....
 of route, of which 1,800 km is high-speed
TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, the French national rail transport operations, and is now operated primarily by SNCF....
 line and 14,500 km is electrified
Railway electrification system

A Railway electrification system supplies Electric potential energy to railway locomotives and multiple units so that they can operate without having an on-board Prime mover ....
. About 14,000 trains are operated daily. The chairman of SNCF is Guillaume Pépy
Guillaume Pépy

Guillaume Pepy is a high-ranking French civil servant and since February 2008 President of SNCF, the French national rail authority. He is also Chairman of Eurostar and Deputy-Chairman of the Keolis Group....
. Its headquarters is in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, in the Rue du Commandant Mouchotte.

Business scope

Tgv Sud Est
SNCF operates almost all of France's railway system, including the TGV
TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, the French national rail transport operations, and is now operated primarily by SNCF....
 (Train à Grande Vitesse, meaning "High-Speed Train
High-speed rail

High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions include 200 km/h and faster ? depending on whether the track is upgraded or new ? by the European Union, and above 90 mph by the United States Federal Railroad Administration, but...
") and some segments of the RER
RER

The RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre subway and a pre-existing set of regional rail lines....
 (Réseau Express Régional, "Regional Express Network", a rapid transit
Rapid transit

A rapid transit, subway, underground, elevated railway or metro system is an railway electrification system public transport rail transport in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separation from other traffic....
 system serving Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
).

In the past, SNCF owned not only the trains, but also the tracks, but this has changed due to new European Union
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
 regulations. Since 1997 the tracks and other rail infrastructure have belonged to a separate government establishment, the Réseau Ferré de France
Réseau Ferré de France

R?seau Ferr? de France , also known as RFF, is the company that owns and maintains the France national railway network. The trains themselves are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to new European Union rules, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure....
; this change was intended to open the market to independent train operating companies, although few have yet appeared. There have been claims that this is mainly due to very restrictive regulations that are allegedly motivated by protectionism
Protectionism

Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations, through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive import quota, and a variety of other restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and prevent foreign take-over of local markets and companies....
. For example, the licensing procedure for the multi-system ICE3M
InterCityExpress

File:ICE 3 Fahlenbach.jpgThe Intercity-Express ? in Austria and Switzerland: InterCityExpress ; abbreviation: ICE ? is a system of high-speed rail predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries....
 took four years, while the same train was allowed onto tracks in the Netherlands and Belgium within a year of its introduction.

History

SNCF was formed in 1938 on the nationalisation of France's five main railways (Chemin de Fer
Chemin de Fer

Chemin de fer is the French term for railway. It may refer to:*Mus?e Fran?ais du Chemin de Fer, the French National Railway Museum* Baccarat#Baccarat Chemin de Fer, a variation of the card game, Baccarat....
 in English means railway, literally, 'road of iron'). These were the:
  • Chemin de Fer de l'Est (Eastern Railway)
  • Chemin de Fer de l'État
    Chemin de Fer de l'État

    The Chemins de fer de l'?tat , often referred to in France as the r?seau de l'?tat , was an early France railway....
     (State Railway) (formed in 1909 from the merger of the Chemin de Fer de l'État
    Chemin de Fer de l'État

    The Chemins de fer de l'?tat , often referred to in France as the r?seau de l'?tat , was an early France railway....
     and the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
    Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest

    The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company....
    )
  • Chemin de Fer du Nord
    Chemin de Fer du Nord

    Chemin de Fer du Nord , often referred to simply as the Nord company, was a rail transport company created in September 1845, in Paris, France....
     (Northern Railway)
  • Chemin de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM) (Paris, Lyon and Mediterranean Railway)
  • Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi
    Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi

    The Chemin de Fer de Paris ? Orl?ans et du Midi, often abbreviated to PO-Midi, was an early France railway. It was formed in 1934 following the merging of the Chemin de Fer de Paris ? Orl?ans and the Chemin de Fer du Midi....
     (Paris, Orléans, and Central Railway) (PO-Midi, formed in 1934 from the merger of the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans
    Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans

    The Chemin de Fer de Paris ? Orl?ans, often abbreviated to CF Paris-Orl?ans, was an early France railway.In 1934 it merged with the Chemin de Fer du Midi to become part of the Chemin de Fer de Paris ? Orl?ans et du Midi ....
     and the Chemin de Fer du Midi
    Chemin de Fer du Midi

    The Chemin de Fer du Midi, often abbreviated to CF du Midi, was an early France railway.In 1934 it merged with the Chemin de Fer de Paris ? Orl?ans to become part of the Chemin de Fer de Paris ? Orl?ans et du Midi ....
    )


The French state took 51% ownership of SNCF and has since put large amounts of public subsidies into the system. In the 1970s, SNCF began the TGV
TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, the French national rail transport operations, and is now operated primarily by SNCF....
 high speed train
High Speed Train

There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
 programme with the intention of creating the world's fastest railway network. It came to fruition in 1981, when the first TGV service, from Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 to Lyon
Lyon

||-||}Lyon, also known as Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France. Its name is pronounced in French language and Franco-Proven?al language, and or in English language....
, was inaugurated. TGV lines and the TGV technology have since spread to several other European countries plus South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
.

Role during World War II

On 16 May 2006 the SNCF and the French State were successfully taken to the administrative court for complicity in crimes against humanity
Crime against humanity

Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings....
 by the father of MEP
Member of the European Parliament

A Member of the European Parliament is the English name for a person who has been elected to the European Parliament, of of the the European Union's two legislative bodies....
 Alain Lipietz
Alain Lipietz

Alain Lipietz is a France engineer, Economics and politics, and a member of the The Greens ....
, because of their role in transporting members of his family to the Drancy deportation camp during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. They were subsequently jointly fined 64,000 euro
Euro

The euro is the official currency of 16 out of 27 European Union member state of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain....
s, but the judgement was appealed. Previous similar attempts by others in the civil courts had failed. SNCF argued that they were required to transport Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
s by the Vichy regime
Vichy France

Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the French Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal of France Philippe P?tain pro...
 and the Nazis, and that they had never taken the initiative. However SNCF chose to transport them in cattle wagons
Stock car (rail)

In railroad terminology, a stock car is a type of rolling stock used for carrying livestock to market. A traditional stock car resembles a boxcar with slats missing in the car's side for the purpose of providing ventilation; stock cars can be single-level for large animals such as cattle or horses, or they can have two or three levels for s...
 (stock cars), as it was done for soldiers, and invoiced the state for 3rd class
Travel class

A travel class is a quality of lodging on public transport transport. The accommodation could be a seat or a cabin for example. Higher travel classes are more comfortable and more expensive....
 tickets
Ticket (admission)

A ticket is a voucher to indicate that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has paid the fare....
. In 2006 the administrative court in Toulouse
Toulouse

Toulouse is a commune of France in southwest France on the banks of the Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea....
 found the SNCF guilty of aiding in the deportations. The SNCF appealed, arguing that its actions were consistent with it having been requisitioned by the occupying German forces under the terms of the 1940 Armistice
Armistice

An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace....
, and that employees of the Deutsche Reichs Bahn oversaw major facilities and operations. The SNCF was cleared in 2007 by the Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 appeal court which agreed that it had been operating under orders and had not autonomously made the decisions pertaining to deportation trains.

Hundreds of SNCF employees (cheminots) were shot for acts of Resistance during World War II
Resistance during World War II

Resistance movement during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns....
. Another 2,480 were deported, of whom 1,100 died. Another 2,361 were killed at work (due to bombings, land mines, et cetera).

Modern day


Since the '90s, SNCF has been selling railway carriages to regional governments, with the creation of the Transport Express Régional brand.

Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac

Jacques Ren? Chirac served as the President of France from 17 May 1995 until 16 May 2007. As President he also served as an ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra and Grand Master of the French L?gion d'honneur....
, then French president
President

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, company, trade unions, university, and country. Etymology, a "president" is one who Wiktionary:Preside, who sits in leadership ....
, pledged in his 2006 New Year Address that by 2026 no SNCF or RATP
RATP

The R?gie Autonome des Transports Parisiens is the major transit operator responsible for public transportation in Paris and its surroundings....
 train would be powered by fossil fuels. This pledge confirms France's commitment to nuclear power
Nuclear power

Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nucleus via controlled nuclear reactions. The only method in use today is through nuclear fission, though other methods might one day include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay ....
 for its energy needs. Nuclear power stations already generate most of the electricity used to power SNCF trains.

SNCF's TGV
TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, the French national rail transport operations, and is now operated primarily by SNCF....
 has set many world speed records
TGV world speed record

The TGV holds a series of Land speed record for railed vehicles achieved by SNCF, the French national railroad, and its industrial partners. The high speed trials are intended to expand the limits of high speed rail technology, increasing speed and comfort without compromising safety....
, the most recent on April 3, 2007, when a new version of the TGV dubbed the V150
V150

The V150 is a specially configured TGV train which broke the world record for conventional rail trains on April 3, 2007. The train is French-made and reached a speed of 574.8 kilometers per hour ....
 with larger wheels than the usual TGV, was able to cover more ground with each rotation and had a stronger engine, , reaching 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph).

Codeshare with airlines


SNCF codeshares
Code sharing

Code sharing or codeshare is an aviation business term which was first coined in the 1970s. Air Malta started to share capacity with Alitalia on flights between Catania and Malta....
 with Air Austral
Air Austral

Air Austral is an airline based in Saint-Denis, R?union, R?union, France. It operates scheduled and non-scheduled services from R?union. Its main base is Roland Garros Airport, St Denis....
, Air France
Air France

Air France , based in Paris, France, is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance....
, Air Tahiti Nui
Air Tahiti Nui

Air Tahiti Nui is French Polynesia's flag carrier airline with its headquarters in Papeete, Tahiti. It operates international services for the low and high-end leisure travel markets....
, American Airlines
American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is a major carrier of the United States. It is the world's largest airlines in passenger miles transported and passenger fleet size; second largest, behind FedEx Express, in aircraft operated; and second behind Air France-KLM in operating revenues....
, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airways is the flag carrier of Hong Kong. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, the airline's operations include scheduled passenger and cargo services to 115 destinations worldwide....
, Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines, Inc. is a United States certificated Airline. Based in Houston, Texas, it is the fourth-largest airline in the US based on revenue passenger miles....
, Middle East Airlines
Middle East Airlines

Middle East Airlines Air Liban SAL , operating as Middle East Airlines , is the national flag-carrier airline of Lebanon, based in Beirut....
, Emirates Airline
Emirates Airline

Emirates Airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates . In 2008 the airline was the World's largest airlines#Scheduled international passengers carried airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried, and World's largest airlines#Scheduled international passenger-kilometres flown in th...
, Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. is the flag carrier airline of Qatar, based in Doha. It operates a hub and spoke network, linking over 80 international destinations....
 and United Airlines
United Airlines

United Air Lines, Inc., trading as United Airlines , is a major carrier of the United States. It is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation with corporate offices in Chicago at 77 West Wacker Drive, and its operations base in nearby Elk Grove Village, Illinois....
 and in exchange, allows passengers on those flights to book rail service between Charles de Gaulle International 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 main international airport....
 in Roissy
Roissy

'Roissy' can refer to:*Roissy-en-Brie in the Seine-et-Marne d?partement in France*Roissy-en-France in the Val-d'Oise d?partement in France*The hamlet of Roissy, within the commune of Ormoy, Essonne in France...
 (near Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
) and Aix-en-Provence, Angers, Avignon, Bordeaux, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon Part-Dieu, Marseilles, Montpellier, Nantes
Gare de Nantes

The Gare de Nantes is the principal passenger railway station serving the France city of Nantes. It is a through station aligned east-west, with entrances and station facilities on both north and south sides....
, Nimes, Poiters, Rennes
Gare de Rennes

Rennes railway station is situated in the town centre of Rennes, France.The station at Rennes was opened in 1857, and was situated a significant walking distance from the city centre....
, Tours, and Valence with their airline. The IATA designator used by airlines in connection with these journeys is 2C.

Subsidiaries

SNCF has full or partial shares in a large number of companies, the majority of which are rail or transport related. These include:
  • Geodis (100%)
  • ERMEWA (49.6%)
  • France Wagons (100%)
  • SGW : Société de Gérance de Wagons (67.5%)
  • CTC : Compagnie des Transports Céréaliers (69.36%)
  • SEGI (98.96%)
  • Naviland Cargo (94,37 %) previuously CNC, Compagnie Nationale de Conteneurs.
General freight transport:
  • C-Modalohr Express (51%)
  • Novatrans
    Novatrans

    Novatrans Corporation is a Swiss company founded in 2003, with R&D facilities in Israel which develops and commercializes a technology that was invented at The Weizmann Institute of Science....
     (38.25%)
  • Districhrono (100%)
  • Ecorail (99.9%)
  • Froidcombi (48.93%)
  • Rouch Intermodal (98.96%)
  • Sefergie (98.96%)


  • Keolis
    Keolis

    Keolis is the largest private sector French transport group. It is a significant operator of tramways as well as operating bus networks, funiculars, trolley buses and airport services....
     (44.5%)
    • Govia
      Govia

      Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead_Group and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East England and on the West Coast Main Line....
       (15.84%)
  • EFFIA (99.99%)
Passenger transport
  • Thalys International (70%)
  • Eurostar Group Ltd (62%)
  • Lyria (74 %)
  • Elipsos International (50%)
  • Artésia
    Artesia

    Artesia may refer to:Places* Artesia, California* Artesia, Colorado * Artesia, Mississippi* Artesia, New Mexico* Mosomane, Botswana, also known as Artesia...
     (50%)
  • SeaFrance
    SeaFrance

    SeaFrance is a ferry company based in France that operates ferry services between Calais, France and Dover, England.SeaFrance is the trading name of SNAT which is owned by SNCF....
     (100 %)
  • Rhealys SA (30%)


Tickets
  • Voyages-sncf.com (50,1%), the travel agency on line of the SNCF
  • Rail Europe (50%)
  • GLe-trade


Consulating
  • AREP (99.99%)
  • SNCF International (100%)
  • Inexia
  • Systra
    Systra

    Systra is a rail transport engineering consultancy and transportation planning company, with its headquarters in Paris, France.The principal shareholders of Systra are SNCF, the operator of the French railway system, and RATP, the operator of the Paris urban transport system, who each own 36% of the shares....
     (35.87 %): engineering for public transport

See also

  • History of rail transport in France
    History of rail transport in France

    The history of rail transport in France dates from the first French railway in 1832 to present-day enterprises such as the TGV....
  • List of French companies
    List of French companies

    This is a list of corporation from France....
  • List of SNCF locomotive and multiple-unit classes
    List of SNCF classes

    List of locomotive and multiple unit classes of SNCF. Classes in bold are in use, whilst those in italics have been withdrawn.=Locomotives=...
  • Transport express régional
  • Corail (train)
    Corail (train)

    Corail is the name given to a class of passenger rail cars of the SNCF that first entered commercial service in 1975. When introduced, Corail carriages featured air-conditioning, and superior levels of comfort, suspension and sound-proofing than previous InterCity carriages and gave arguably the best ride of any European coach....
  • Transport in France
    Transport in France

    File:TGV double decker DSC00132.jpgTransport in France relies on one of the densest and most efficient networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of rail lines per 100 km2....
  • List of SNCF stations
    List of SNCF stations

    SNCF stations by R?gionThe following link to SNCF stations, grouped by R?gion :* List of SNCF stations in Alsace* List of SNCF stations in Aquitaine...


External links

  • (Requires ) from the Google Earth Community forum