The
TGV (T
rain à G
rande Vitesse,
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
for 'high-speed train') is
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
's
high-speed railHigh-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...
service, currently operated by VFE, the long-distance rail branch of
SNCFSNCF is a French public enterprise. Its functions include operation of rail services for passengers and freight, and maintenance and signalling of rail infrastructure owned by Réseau Ferré de France . It employs about 180,000 people...
, the French national
rail operatorA railway can be broken down into two major components. Basically these are the items which "move", the rolling stock, that is the locomotives, passenger carrying vehicles , freight carrying vehicles and those which are "fixed", usually referred to as its infrastructure...
. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom (now
AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
) and
SNCFSNCF is a French public enterprise. Its functions include operation of rail services for passengers and freight, and maintenance and signalling of rail infrastructure owned by Réseau Ferré de France . It employs about 180,000 people...
, and is now operated primarily by SNCF. Although originally designed to be powered by gas turbines, the TGV prototypes evolved into electric trains. Following the inaugural TGV service between
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and
Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
in 1981, the TGV network, centred on Paris, has expanded to connect cities across France and in adjacent countries. A TGV test train set the
recordDetermination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail".The French TGV is the fastest conventional train in the world, using powered metal wheels riding on metal rails...
for the fastest wheeled train, reaching 574.8
km/hThe kilometre per hour is a unit of speed or velocity, expressing the number of kilometers traveled in one hour...
(357
mphThe mile per hour is a unit of speed, measured in Imperial units expressing the number of international miles covered per hour.It is currently the unit used for speed limits, and speeds, on roads in the United Kingdom and United States...
) on 3 April, 2007, and a TGV service holds the record for the fastest scheduled rail journey with a start to stop average speed of 279.4 km/h. (173.6 mph)
The success of the first line led to an expansion of the network, with new lines built in the south, west, north and east of the country. Eager to emulate the success of the French network, neighbouring countries such as
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
built their own high-speed lines. TGVs link with
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
through the French network, with
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
through the
ThalysThalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
network, and the
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
network links France and Belgium with the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. Several lines are planned, including extensions within France and to surrounding countries. Towns such as
ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
have become a part of a "TGV
commuterCommuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. Institutions that have few dormitories or near-campus student housing are called commuter schools in the United States....
belt".
History
The idea of the TGV was first proposed in the 1960s, after Japan had begun construction of the
ShinkansenThe is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the now long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū at speeds up to...
in 1959. At the time the
French governmentThe government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be "an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
favoured new technologies, exploring the production of
hovercraftA hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over relatively smooth surfaces supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air, ejected against the surface below, and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by the air, they are not usually considered to be aircraft.Hovercraft are...
and
maglevMaglev, or magnetic levitation, is a system of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles, predominantly trains, using magnetic levitation from a very large number of magnets for lift and propulsion. This method has the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother than wheeled mass...
trains such as
AérotrainThe Aérotrain was a hovercraft train developed in France from 1965 to 1977. The lead engineer was Jean Bertin.The goal of the Aérotrain was similar to that of the magnetic levitation train: to suspend the train above the tracks so the only resistance is that of air resistance...
. Simultaneously, SNCF began researching high speed trains that would operate on conventional track.
Development
It was originally planned that the TGV, then standing for très grande vitesse
(very high speed) or turbine grande vitesse (high speed turbine), would be propelled by
gas turbine-electric locomotiveA gas turbine - electric locomotive, or GTEL, is a locomotive that uses a gas turbine to drive an electric generator or alternator. The electric current thus produced is used to power traction motors. This type of locomotive was first experimented with during the Second World War, but reached its...
s.
Gas turbineA gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between. Energy is added to the gas stream in the combustor, where air is mixed with...
s were selected for their small size, good
power-to-weight ratioPower-to-weight ratio is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine or power sources...
, and ability to deliver high power over an extended period. The first prototype,
TGV 001TGV 001 was a high-speed railway train built in France. It was the first TGV prototype and was commissioned in 1969, to begin testing in 1972...
, was the only TGV constructed with this engine - following the increase in the price of
oilPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds.The term "petroleum" was first used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in...
during the
1973 energy crisisThe 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo" in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war; it lasted until March 1974...
, gas turbines were deemed impractical and the project turned to
electricityElectricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge...
from
overhead linesOverhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
. The electricity was to be generated by France's new nuclear power stations.
TGV 001 was not a wasted prototype: its gas-turbine powerplant was only one of many technologies for high-speed rail travel. It also tested high speed brakes, needed to dissipate the large amount of
kinetic energyThe kinetic energy of an object is the extra energy which it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its current velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its...
of a train at high speed, high-speed aerodynamics, and signalling. It was articulated, meaning that two adjacent carriages shared a
bogieA bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar tracked...
between them, allowing free yet controlled motion with respect to one another. It reached 318 km/h (198 mph), which remains the world speed record for a non-electric train. Its interior and exterior were styled by British-born designer Jack Cooper, whose work formed the basis of early TGV designs, including the distinctive nose shape of the first power cars.
Changing the TGV to electric traction required a significant design overhaul. The first electric prototype, nicknamed Zébulon, was completed in 1974, testing features such as innovative body mounting of motors,
pantographA pantograph is a device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The term stems from the resemblance to pantograph devices for copying writing and drawings.-Invention:...
s,
suspensionSuspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose – contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
and
brakingA brake is a device for applying a force against the friction of the road, slowing or stopping the motion of a machine or vehicle, or alternatively a device to restrain it from starting to move again. The kinetic energy lost by the moving part is usually translated to heat by friction...
. Body mounting of motors allowed over 3 tonnes to be eliminated from the power cars and massively reduced the amount of
unsprung weightIn a ground vehicle with a suspension, the unsprung weight is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks , and other components directly connected to them, rather than supported by the suspension...
. The prototype travelled almost 1,000,000 km (621,000 miles) during testing.
In 1976 the
French governmentThe government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be "an indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
funded the TGV project, and construction of the
LGV Sud-Est|}The LGV Sud-Est is a French high-speed passenger rail line, which links Paris and Lyon. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin and Sathonay on 22 September, 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.This line, subsequently extended...
, the first high-speed line (ligne à
grande
vitesse), began shortly afterwards. The line was given the designation LN1,
Ligne Nouvelle 1 (New Line 1).
After two pre-production trainsets (nicknamed
Patrick and
Sophie) had been tested and substantially modified, the first production version was delivered on 25 April 1980.
Service history
The TGV opened to the public between
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and
Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
on 27 September, 1981. Contrary to its earlier fast services, SNCF intended the TGV service for all types of passengers, with the same ticket price as for trains running on the parallel conventional line. To counteract the popular misconception that the TGV would be another premium service for business travellers, SNCF started a major publicity campaign focusing on the speed, frequency, reservation policy, normal price, and broad accessibility of the service. This commitment to a democratised TGV service was further enhanced in the
MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand served as the President of France from 1981 to 1995, elected as representative of the Socialist Party . First elected during the May 1981 presidential election, he became the first socialist President of the Fifth Republic and the first left-wing head of...
era with the promotional slogan "Progress means nothing unless it is shared by all". The TGV was considerably faster than normal trains,
carsAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, or
aeroplanesA fixed-wing aircraft, usually called an airplane, aeroplane or plane, is an aircraft capable of flight using forward motion that causes air to pass over its wings to generate lift. Planes include jet engine and propeller driven vehicles propelled forward by thrust, as well as unpowered aircraft...
. The trains became widely popular, the public welcoming fast and practical travel.
Further LGVs have opened: the
LGV AtlantiqueThe LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
(LN2) to
ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
/
Le MansLe Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans....
(construction begun 1985, in operation 1989); the
LGV Nord-EuropeThe LGV Nord is a French 333 km-long high speed rail line that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille; it opened in 1993.With a maximum speed of 300 km/h, the line has appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille...
(LN3) to
CalaisCalais is a town in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
and the Belgian border (construction begun 1989, in operation 1993); the
LGV Rhône-Alpes|}The LGV Rhône-Alpes is a 115 km-long French high-speed rail line situated in the Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opening to service in 1994, this line bypasses the built-up Lyon area towards the east, and in addition serves Satolas station, now renamed...
(LN4), extending the LGV Sud-Est to
ValenceValence is a commune in south-eastern France, the capital of the department of Drôme, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseille...
(construction begun 1990, in operation 1992); and the
LGV Méditerranée|}|}The LGV Méditerranée is a French high speed railway line of approximately 250 km length, which entered service in June, 2001. Running between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence and Marseille, it connects the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the LGV Rhône-Alpes, and...
(LN5) to
MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
(construction begun 1996, in operation 2001). The
LGV EstThe LGV Est européenne is an extension to the French high-speed TGV network, connecting Paris and Strasbourg. , it is the newest high-speed line in France and still under construction, with 300 km of a planned 406 km in service...
from Paris to
StrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. With 702,412 inhabitants in 2007, its metropolitan area is the ninth largest in France...
was inaugurated on 15 March 2007, and opened to the public in the summer of 2007. In its first month of operation, more than 1,000,000 passengers traveled on the line. High speed lines based on LGV technology connecting with the French network have been built in
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
The
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
service began operation in 1994, connecting
continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
to London via the
Channel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
with a version of the TGV designed for use in the tunnel and in the United Kingdom. The line used the LGV Nord-Europe from the outset. The first phase of the British High Speed 1 line, or Channel Tunnel Rail Link, was completed in 2003, and the second phase was completed on Wednesday 14 November 2007. The fastest trains take 2 hours 15 minutes on the London-Paris and 1 hour 51 minutes on the London-Brussels routes.
Milestones
The TGV was the world's third commercial high speed train service, after Japan's
ShinkansenThe is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the now long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū at speeds up to...
, which first connected
Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
and
Osakais a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū.Osaka is a City in Japan and also is designated city under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture...
on 1 October 1964, and Britain's
Intercity 125The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of carriages, and is capable of in regular service. Initially the sets were classified as Classes 253 and 254...
, intended for the UK's main lines such as the East Coast Mainline and entered service in 1976. The TGV currently holds the
world speed recordDetermination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail".The French TGV is the fastest conventional train in the world, using powered metal wheels riding on metal rails...
for conventional, wheel/rail trains. On 3 April 2007 a modified TGV POS train reached 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph)
under test conditionsThe TGV holds a series of world speed records achieved by SNCF, the French national railway, 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...
on the
LGV EstThe LGV Est européenne is an extension to the French high-speed TGV network, connecting Paris and Strasbourg. , it is the newest high-speed line in France and still under construction, with 300 km of a planned 406 km in service...
.
The voltage on the test track between Paris and Strasbourg was boosted to 31 kV and extra ballast was tamped onto the right-of-way. It beat the 1990
world speed recordDetermination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail".The French TGV is the fastest conventional train in the world, using powered metal wheels riding on metal rails...
of 515.3 km/h (320.2 mph), set by a similarly shortened train (two power cars and three passenger cars), along with unofficial records set during weeks preceding the official record run. The test was part of an extensive research programme by Alstom.
The TGV is in 2007 the
world's fastest conventional scheduled trainDetermination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail".The French TGV is the fastest conventional train in the world, using powered metal wheels riding on metal rails...
: one journey's average start-to-stop speed from Lorraine-TGV to Champagne-Ardenne-TGV is 279.3 km/h (173.6 mph).
A
Eurostar trainThe 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...
broke the record for the
longest non-stop high speed journey in the world on 17 May 2006 carrying the cast and filmmakers of
The Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci Code is a 2006 film directed by Ron Howard, which is based on the bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It was one of the most anticipated films of 2006, and was previewed at the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2006...
from
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to
CannesCannes France, is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. The population was 70,400 as of the 2007 census. Cannes is the home of numerous luxurious houses and mansions as well as many high-end gated communities...
for the
Cannes Film FestivalThe Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious film festivals. The private festival is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of France.The 62nd edition started 13 May and ended 24 May 2009...
. The 1421 km (883.0 miles) journey took 7 hours 25 minutes (191.6 km/h or 119 mph).
The record for the
fastest long distance run was set by a
TGV RéseauThe SNCF TGV Réseau trains were built by Alstom between 1992 and 1996. These TGV trainsets are based on the earlier TGV Atlantique.The first Réseau sets entered service in 1993. Fifty dual-voltage trainsets were built in 1992-1994, numbered 501-550. A further 40 triple-voltage trainsets, numbered...
train travelling from
CalaisCalais is a town in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
-Frethun to
MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
(1067.2 km, 663 mi) in 3 hours 29 minutes (306 km/h or 190 mph) for the inauguration of the
LGV Méditerranée|}|}The LGV Méditerranée is a French high speed railway line of approximately 250 km length, which entered service in June, 2001. Running between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence and Marseille, it connects the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the LGV Rhône-Alpes, and...
on 26 May 2001.
In August 2007, Dutch students Hildebrand van Kuyeren and Mart Hopman used the TGV, mainly the Paris-Marseille line, to set the world record for train traveling within one week at .
Ridership
On 28 November 2003 the TGV network carried its one-billionth passenger, second only to the Shinkansen's five billionth passenger in 2000. The two-billion mark is expected to be reached in 2010.
Excluding international traffic, the TGV system had carried 98 million passengers during 2008, an increase of 8 million (9.1%) on the previous year.
| Decade |
Passengers (in millions) |
| 1980s |
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|
| |
1.26 |
6.08 |
9.20 |
13.77 |
15.38 |
15.57 |
16.97 |
18.10 |
19.16 |
1990s
[from 1994 including Eurostar][from 1997 including Thalys] |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|
| 29.93 |
37.00 |
39.30 |
40.12 |
43.91 |
46.59 |
55.73 |
62.60 |
71.00 |
74.00 |
| 2000s |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|
| 79.70 |
83.50 |
87.90 |
86.70 |
90.80 |
94.00 |
97.00 |
120 |
128 |
|
The TGV has only crash once since it was built in 1987
Tracks
The newest high-speed lines allow speeds of up to in normal operation. Originally, LGVs were defined as lines permitting speeds greater than ; this guideline was subsequently revised to . TGVs also run on conventional track (
lignes classiques), at the normal maximum safe speed for those lines, up to a maximum of . This is an advantage that the TGV has over, for example, magnetic levitation trains, as TGVs can serve many more destinations and can use city-centre stations (as in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
,
Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
, and
DijonDijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population : 150,800 for the commune; 236,953 for the greater Dijon area....
). They now serve around 200 destinations in France and abroad.
Track design
LGV construction is similar to that of normal railway lines, but with a few key differences. The
radiiIn classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its perimeter. By extension, the radius of a circle or sphere is the length of any such segment, which is half the diameter....
of curves are larger so that trains can traverse them at higher speeds without increasing the centripetal acceleration felt by passengers. The radii of LGV curves have historically been greater than 4
kmThe kilometre , symbol km is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second....
(2.5
mileA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
s). New lines have minimum radii of 7 km (4 miles) to allow for future increases in speed.
Lines used only for high-speed traffic can incorporate steeper grades than normal. This facilitates the planning of LGVs and reduces their cost of construction. The high power/weight and adhesive weight/total weight ratios of TGVs allow them to climb much steeper grades than conventional trains. The considerable momentum at high speeds also helps to climb these slopes very fast without greatly increasing their energy consumption. They can also coast on downward slopes, further increasing efficiency. The Paris-Sud-Est LGV has grades of up to 3.5% (on the German NBS high-speed line between
CologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the German 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...
and
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2008 population of 670,000. The urban area had an estimated population of 2.26 million in 2001...
they reach 4%.) On a line reserved for high-speed trains it is possible to have greater superelevation (tilt), since all trains are travelling at the same (high) speed and a train stopping on a curve because of a stop signal is a very rare event. Curve radii in high-speed lines have to be large, but increasing the superelevation allows for tighter curves while supporting the same train speed. Allowance for tighter curves can reduce construction costs by reducing the number and/or length of tunnels or viaducts and the volume of earthworks.
Track alignment is more precise than on normal railway lines, and
ballastTrack ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
is in a deeper-than-normal
profileIn standardization, a profile consists of an agreed-upon subset and interpretation of a specification. Many complex technical specifications have many optional features, such that two conforming implementations may not inter-operate due to choosing different sets of optional features to support...
, resulting in increased load-bearing capacity and track stability. LGV track is anchored by more
sleeperA railroad tie, cross tie, or railway sleeper is a rectangular object used as a base for railroad tracks. Sleepers are members generally laid transverse to the rails, on which the rails are supported and fixed, to transfer the loads from rails to the ballast and subgrade, and to hold the rails to...
s (railroad ties) per kilometre than usual, and all are made of concrete, either mono- or bi-bloc, the latter consisting of two separate blocks of concrete joined by a steel bar. Heavy rail (
UICThe UIC or International Union of Railways is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after the Great War and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
60) is used and the rails themselves are more upright, with an inclination of 1 in 40 as opposed to 1 in 20 on normal lines. Use of continuous welded rails in place of shorter, jointed rails yields a comfortable ride at high speed, without the "clickety-clack" vibrations induced by rail joints.
The diameter of tunnels is greater than normally required by the size of the trains, especially at entrances. This limits the effects of air pressure changes, which could be problematic at TGV speeds.
Traffic limitations
LGVs are reserved primarily for TGVs. One reason for this limitation is that capacity is sharply reduced when trains of differing speeds are mixed. Passing freight and passenger trains also constitute a safety risk, as cargo on freight cars can be destabilised by the air turbulence caused by the TGV.
The steep gradients common on LGVs would limit the weight of slow freight trains. Slower trains would also mean that the maximum track cant (banking on curves) would be limited, so for the same maximum speed, a mixed-traffic LGV would need to be built with curves of even larger radius. Such track would be much more expensive to build and maintain. Some stretches of less-used LGV are routinely mixed-traffic, such as the
ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
branch of the LGV Atlantique, and the planned
NîmesNîmes is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and it is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
/
MontpellierMontpellier is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, as well as the Hérault department.-Population:...
branch of the LGV Mediterranée. The British High Speed 1 from the
Channel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
to London has been built with passing loops to support freight use, but this facility has not been used.
Maintenance on LGVs is carried out at night, when no TGVs are running.
Outside France, LGV-type lines often carry non-TGV intercity traffic, often as a requirement of the initial funding commitments. The Belgian LGV from Brussels to Liège carries 200 km/h loco-hauled trains, with both the Dutch
HSL-ZuidHSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line between the Netherlands and Belgium. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol - Antwerp High-Speed Line. Originally scheduled to be in service by 2007, the first public operations began on September 7 2009, after a ceremony on...
and British High Speed 1 planned to carry 200 km/h domestic intercity services. The
Channel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
is not an LGV, but it uses LGV-type TVM signalling for mixed freight, shuttle and Eurostar traffic at between 100 km/h and 160 km/h. The "
Standard PathwayA train path is the infrastructure capacity needed to run a train between two places over a given time-period. In Europe, a train operator needs to purchase a train path from a rail infrastructure company to run a train on their tracks....
" for path allocation purposes is the time taken by one of Eurotunnel's own Shuttle trains (maximum speed 140 km/h) to traverse the Tunnel. A single Eurostar running at 160 km/h occupies 2.67 standard paths; a second Eurostar running at minimum distance (3 minutes) behind the first train only "costs" an additional 1 path, which is why the Eurostar services are often flighted 3 minutes apart throughout from London to Lille and vice versa. A freight train running at 120 km/h occupies 1.33 paths. A freight running at 100 km/h occupies 3 paths. This illustrates the problem of mixed traffic at different speeds.
| Train Class | Speed | Paths | |
|---|
| Eurostar |
160 km/h |
2⅔ |
"catches up" with earlier trains |
| Eurostar (average for two) |
160 km/h |
1⅚ |
consecutive "flighted pair" at same speed |
| Eurotunnel Shuttle |
140 km/h |
1 |
optimal usage, all trains at same speed |
| Multi-modal freight |
120 km/h |
1⅓ |
"holds up" train behind it |
Power supply
LGVs are all
electrifiedA railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
at
25 kV 50 Hz ACThe AC, railway electrification system is commonly used in railways worldwide, especially on high-speed lines.-Overview:This electrification system is ideal for railways that cover long distances and/or carry heavy traffic...
.
CatenaryOverhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
wires are kept at a greater mechanical tension than normal lines because the
pantographA pantograph is a device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The term stems from the resemblance to pantograph devices for copying writing and drawings.-Invention:...
causes
oscillationOscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and AC power...
s in the wire, and the
waveA wave is a disturbance that propagates through space and time, usually with transference of energy. A mechanical wave is a wave that propagates or travels through a medium due to the restoring forces it produces upon deformation. There also exist waves capable of traveling through a vacuum,...
must travel faster than the train to avoid producing
standing waveA standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave that remains in a constant position. This phenomenon can occur because the medium is moving in the opposite direction to the wave, or it can arise in a stationary medium as a result of interference between two waves traveling in opposite...
s that would cause the wires to break. This was a problem when rail speed record attempts were made in 1990; power wire tension had to be increased further still to accommodate train speeds of over 500 km/h (310 mph). On LGVs, only the rear pantograph is raised, avoiding amplification of the oscillations created by the front pantograph. The front power car is supplied by a cable running along the roof of the train. Eurostar trains are long enough that oscillations are
dampedIn physics, damping is any effect that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations in an oscillatory system, particularly the harmonic oscillator.In mechanics, friction is one such damping effect...
sufficiently between the front and rear power cars (British designers were wary of running a high-power line through passenger carriages, explaining the centrally-located locomotive in their ill-fated
Advanced Passenger TrainThe Advanced Passenger Train was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s, which did not enter regular service....
), so both pantographs can be raised - there is no interconnecting high-voltage cable along the 400 m length of the train. On
lignes classiques slower maximum speeds prevent oscillation problems, and on DC lines both pantographs must be raised.
Separation
LGVs are fenced along their entire length to prevent trespassing by animals and people.
Level crossingThe term level crossing is a crossing on one level — without recourse to a bridge or tunnel — of a railway line by a road or path...
s are not permitted and bridges over the line have sensors to detect objects that fall onto the track.
All LGV junctions are
grade-separatedGrade separation is the process of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
, with tracks crossing each other using
flyoversA flying junction is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
or
tunnelA tunnel is an underground passageway. The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon. However, in general tunnels are at least twice as long as they are wide. In addition, they should be completely enclosed on all sides, save for the openings at each end...
s, eliminating crossing other tracks on the level.
Signalling
Because TGVs on LGVs travel too fast for their drivers to see and react to traditional lineside
signalsA signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train drivers/engineers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
, an automated system called TVM (
Transmission Voie-Machine, or
track-to-train transmission) is used for signalling. Information is transmitted to trains via electrical pulses sent through the rails, providing speed, target speed, and stop/go indications directly to the driver via dashboard-mounted instruments. This high degree of automation does not eliminate driver control, though there are safeguards that can safely stop the train in the event of driver error.
The line is divided into signal blocks of about 1500
mThe metre or meter is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units . Historically, the metre was defined by the French Academy of Sciences as the length between two marks on a platinum-iridium bar, which was designed to represent one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator...
(≈1
mileA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
), with the boundaries marked by blue boards with a yellow triangle. Dashboard instruments show the maximum permitted speed for the train's current block and a target speed based on the profile of the line ahead. The maximum permitted speed is based on factors such as the proximity of trains ahead (with steadily decreasing speeds permitted in blocks closer to the rear of the next train),
junctionA junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , provided by...
placement, speed restrictions, the top speed of the train and distance from the end of the LGV. As trains cannot usually stop within one signal block, which can range in length from a few hundred metres to a few kilometres, drivers are alerted to slow gradually several blocks before a required stop.
Two versions of TVM signalling, TVM-430 and TVM-300, are in use on LGV. TVM-430, a newer system, was first installed on the LGV Nord to the
Channel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
and Belgium, and supplies trains with more information than TVM-300. Among other benefits, TVM-430 allows a train's on-board computer system to generate a continuous speed control curve in the event of an emergency brake activation, effectively forcing the driver to reduce speed safely without releasing the brake.
The signalling system is normally permissive: the driver of a train is permitted to proceed into an occupied block section without first obtaining authorisation. Speed is limited to 30 km/h (19 mph) and if speed exceeds 35 km/h (22 mph) the emergency brake is applied. If the board marking the entrance to the block section is accompanied by a sign marked Nf, for
non-franchissable, the block section is not permissive, and the driver must obtain authorisation from the
Poste d'Aiguillage et de Régulation (PAR - Signalling and Control Centre) before entering. Once a route is set or the PAR has provided authorisation, a white lamp above the board is lit to inform the driver. The driver acknowledges the authorisation using a button on the control panel. This disables the emergency braking, which would otherwise occur when passing over the ground loop adjacent to the non-permissive board.
When trains enter or leave LGVs from
lignes classiques, they pass over a ground loop that automatically switches the driver's dashboard indicators to the appropriate signalling system. For example, a train leaving the LGV for a
ligne classique has its TVM system deactivated and its traditional KVB (
Contrôle Vitesse par Balise, or
beacon speed control) system enabled.
Stations
One of the main advantages of TGV over other fast rail technologies such as magnetic levitation is that TGVs can take advantage of existing infrastructure. This makes connecting city centres (such as Paris-
Gare de LyonThe Gare de Lyon is one of the six large railway termini in Paris, France. It is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, most en route to the south of France. In general the station's SNCF services run to the south and east of France. The station also...
to
Lyon-PerracheThis zone is served by the metro line Gare de Lyon-Perrache station is a large railway station in the quarter Perrache, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It was built in 1855 by Alexis Cendrier for the CF du PLM...
) by TGV a simple and inexpensive proposition. TGVs often use intra-city tracks and stations built for lower speed trains.
However, LGV route designers have tended to build new intermediate stations in suburban areas or in the open countryside several kilometers away from cities. This allows TGVs to stop without incurring too great a time penalty, since more time is spent on high speed track; in addition, many cities' stations are stub-ends, while LGV tracks frequently bypass cities. In some cases, stations have been built halfway between two communities. The station serving
Montceau-les-MinesMontceau-les-Mines is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is the second-largest commune of the metropolitan Communauté urbaine Creusot-Montceau, which lies southwest of the city of Dijon....
and
Le CreusotLe Creusot is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgical companies such as ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric, and Alstom.Since the 1990s, the...
is an example, and a more controversial example is
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...
station, between
AmiensAmiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardie.-History:The Paleolithic culture named Acheulean was named for its first identified site, in Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens...
and
Saint-QuentinSaint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne départment in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
. The press and local authorities criticised Haute Picardie as being too far from either town to be convenient, and too far from connecting railway lines to be useful for travellers. The station was nicknamed
la gare des betteraves, or 'beet station', as it was surrounded by
sugar beetSugar beet , a member of the Chenopodiaceae family, is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production....
fields during construction. This nickname is now applied to similar stations away from town and city centres, whether in the vicinity of beet fields or not.
New railway stations have been built for TGV services, some of which are major architectural achievements in their own right.
AvignonAvignon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in south-eastern France with an estimated mid-2004 population of 89,300 in the city itself and a population of 290,466 in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census.The city is well known for its Palais des Papes , where several popes...
TGV station, opened in 2001, has been praised as one of the most remarkable stations on the network, with a spectacular 340 m (1,115 ft)-long glazed roof that has been compared to that of a
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.
Rolling stock
TGVs are semi-permanently coupled
articulatedAn articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivoting joint in its construction, allowing the vehicle to turn more sharply. There are many kinds of articulated vehicles, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains...
un-powered coaches, with
Jacobs bogieJacobs bogies are a type of rail vehicle bogie commonly found on articulated railcars and tramway vehicles.Instead of being underneath a piece of rolling stock, Jacobs bogies are placed between two carbody sections...
s between the coaches, supporting both of them.
Power carsA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
at each end of the trains have their own bogies. Trains can be lengthened by coupling two TGVs together, using couplers hidden in the noses of the power cars.
The articulated design is advantageous during a derailment, as the passenger carriages are more likely to stay upright and in line with the track. Normal trains, by contrast, may split at
couplingA coupling is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard, and is almost as important as the railway gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if all rolling stock can be coupled together.- Nomenclature :The different types of coupling...
s and jack-knife.
A disadvantage of this carriage design is that it is difficult to split sets of carriages. While TGV power cars can be removed from trains via standard uncoupling procedures, specialised depot equipment is needed to split carriages, by lifting the entire train at once. Once uncoupled, one of the carriage ends is left without a bogie at the split, so a bogie frame is required to support it.
SNCF operates a fleet of about 400 TGVs. Seven types of TGV or TGV derivative currently operate on the French network; these are:
- TGV Sud-Est (passengers) and TGV La Poste
The SNCF TGV La Poste trains were built by Alstom between 1978–1986. These TGV units are essentially TGV Sud-Est trainsets that are modified for transporting mail for the French postal carrier La Poste....
(freight),
- TGV Atlantique (10 rather than 8 carriages)
- TGV Réseau (similar to Atlantique, but only 8 carriages)
- TGV TMST
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...
(Three Capitals and North of London),
- TGV Duplex (two floors for greater passenger capacity),
- Thalys PBA and PBKA
Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
(Benelux countries, derived from Réseau and Duplex respectively),
- TGV POS (Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland, or Paris-Eastern France-Southern Germany).
There have also been several prototype variants on the TGV design which have broken several records, such as the V150 and
TGV 001TGV 001 was a high-speed railway train built in France. It was the first TGV prototype and was commissioned in 1969, to begin testing in 1972...
. V150 was a specially modified five-car trainset reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) under controlled conditions on a test run. The double decker TGV narrowly missed beating the overall world train speed record of 581 km/h (360.8 mph).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/migrationtemp/1547513/French-train-sets-new-world-speed-record.html The record-breaking speed is impractical for commercial trains due to motor overcharging, empty train weight, rail and engine wear issues, elimination of all but three coaches, excessive vibration, noise and lack of emergency stopping methods.
Normal TGV trainsets travel at up to 320 km/h (200
mphThe mile per hour is a unit of speed, measured in Imperial units expressing the number of international miles covered per hour.It is currently the unit used for speed limits, and speeds, on roads in the United Kingdom and United States...
) in commercial use. All TGVs are at least
bi-current, which means that they can operate at 25 kV, 50 Hz AC on newer lines (including LGVs) and at 1.5 kV DC on older lines (such as the 1.5 kV
lignes classiques that are common around Paris). Trains crossing the border into
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
must accommodate other voltages, requiring
tri-current and
quadri-current TGVs. TGVs have two pairs of pantographs, two for AC use and two for DC use. When passing between areas of different supply voltage, marker boards remind the driver to turn off power to the
traction motorTraction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s, lower the pantograph(s), adjust a switch to select the appropriate system, and raise the pantograph(s). Pantographs and pantograph height control are selected automatically based on the voltage system chosen by the driver. Once the train detects the correct supply, a dashboard indicator illuminates and the driver can switch on the traction motors. The train coasts across the boundary between sections.
| Equipment type |
Top speed |
Seating capacity |
Overall length |
Width |
Weight(Empty) |
Weight(Fully loaded) |
Power
(under 25 kV) |
Power-to-weight(Empty) |
First built |
| TGV Sud-Est |
270 km/h (168 mphThe mile per hour is a unit of speed, measured in Imperial units expressing the number of international miles covered per hour.It is currently the unit used for speed limits, and speeds, on roads in the United Kingdom and United States...
) as built
300 km/h (186 mph) rebuilt |
345 |
200.19 mThe metre or meter is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units . Historically, the metre was defined by the French Academy of Sciences as the length between two marks on a platinum-iridium bar, which was designed to represent one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator...
(657 ft) |
2.81 m (9.2 ft) |
385 t A tonne or metric ton , also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to , or approximately the mass of one cubic metre of water. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI...
|
418 t A tonne or metric ton , also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to , or approximately the mass of one cubic metre of water. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI...
|
6,450 kW |
16.7 W/kg |
1978 |
| *TGV Atlantique |
300 km/h (186 mph) |
485, 459 (after refurbishment) |
237.5 m (780 ft) |
2.90 m (9.5 ft) |
444 t |
484 t |
8,800 kW |
19.8 W/kg |
1988 |
| TGV Réseau |
320 km/h (199 mph) |
377, 361 (after refurbishment) |
200.19 m (657 ft) |
2.90 m (9.5 ft) |
383 t |
415 t |
8,800 kW |
23.0 W/kg |
1992 |
TGV TMSTThe 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...
Three Capitals |
300 km/h (186 mph) |
750 |
393.7 m (1,293 ft) |
2.81 m (9.2 ft) |
752 t |
816 t |
12,240 kW |
16.3 W/kg |
1993 |
TGV TMSTThe 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...
North of London |
300 km/h (186 mph) |
596 |
318.9 m (1,033 ft) |
2.81 m (9.2 ft) |
665 t |
|
12,240 kW |
18.4 W/kg |
1993 |
| TGV Duplex |
320 km/h (199 mph) |
512 |
200.19 m (657 ft) |
2.90 m (9.5 ft) |
380 t |
424 t |
8,800 kW |
23.2 W/kg |
1994 |
| Thalys PBKA The Thalys PBKA is a high-speed train derived from the French TGV. It operates the Thalys service between Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam, forming the abbreviation PBKA....
|
300 km/h (186 mph) |
377, 374 (after refurbishment) |
200.19 m (657 ft) |
2.90 m (9.5 ft) |
385 t |
415 t |
8,800 kW |
22.9 W/kg |
1997 |
| TGV POS |
320 km/h (199 mph) |
361 |
200.19 m (657 ft) |
2.90 m (9.5 ft) |
383 t |
415 t |
9,280 kW |
24.2 W/kg |
2005 |
TGV Sud-Est
The Sud-Est fleet was built between 1978 and 1988 and operated the first TGV service, from Paris to Lyon in 1981. There are 107 passenger sets operating, of which nine are tri-current (including 15 kV, 16⅔ Hz AC for use in Switzerland) and the rest bi-current. There are also seven bi-current half-sets without seats that carry mail for
La PosteLa Poste is the mail service of France, which also operates postal services in the French Overseas Departments of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, and the territorial collectivities of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte....
between Paris, Lyon and
ProvenceProvence is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, in a distinctive yellow livery.
Each set is made up of two power cars and eight carriages (capacity 345 seats), including a powered bogie in each of the carriages adjacent to the power cars. They are 200 m (656 ft) long and 2.81 m (9.2 ft) wide. They weigh 385 tonnes with a power output of 6,450 kW under 25 kV.
Originally the sets were built to run at 270 km/h (168 mph) but most were upgraded to 300 km/h (186 mph) during mid-life refurbishment in preparation for the opening of the LGV Méditerranée. The few sets that still have a maximum speed of 270 km/h operate on those routes that include a comparatively short distance on LGV, such as to Switzerland via Dijon. SNCF did not consider it financially worthwhile to upgrade their speed for a marginal reduction in journey time.
TGV Atlantique
The Atlantique fleet was built between 1988 and 1992. 105 bi-current sets were built for the opening of the LGV Atlantique and entry into service began in 1989. They are 237.5 m (780 ft) long and 2.9 m (9.5 ft) wide. They weigh 444 tonnes, and are made up of two power cars and ten carriages with a capacity of 485 seats. They were built with a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) and 8,800 kW of power under 25 kV. The efficiency of the Atlantique with all seats filled has been calculated at 767
PMPGPassenger miles per gallon is a metric to evaluate the energy efficiency of a vehicle or transportation mode. The PMPG can be obtained by multiplying the miles per gallon of fuel by the passenger capacity or average occupancy...
, though with a typical occupancy of 60% it is about 460 PMPG (a Toyota Prius with three passengers is 144 PMPG).
Modified unit 325
set the world speed recordThe TGV holds a series of world speed records achieved by SNCF, the French national railway, 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...
in 1990 on the new LGV before its opening. Various modifications, such as improved
aerodynamicsAerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
, larger wheels and improved braking, were made to enable speeds of over 500 km/h (310 mph). The set was reduced to two power cars and three carriages to improve the power-to-weight ratio, weighing 250 tonnes. Three carriages, including the bar carriage in the centre, is the minimum possible configuration because of the articulation.
TGV Réseau
The first Réseau (Network) sets entered service in 1993. Fifty bi-current sets were ordered in 1990, supplemented by an order for 40 tri-current sets in 1992/1993. Ten of the tri-current sets carry the
ThalysThalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
livery and are known as Thalys PBA (Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam) sets. As well as using standard French voltages, the tri-current sets can operate under the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
' 1.5 kV and
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
and
BelgianThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
3 kV DC supplies.
They are formed of two power cars (8,800 kW under 25 kV - as TGV Atlantique) and eight carriages, giving a capacity of 377 seats. They have a top speed of 300 km/h. They are 200 m (656 ft) long and are 2.90 m (9.5 ft) wide. The bi-current sets weigh 383 tonnes: owing to axle-load restrictions in Belgium the tri-current sets have a series of modifications, such as the replacement of
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
with
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and hollow axles, to reduce the weight to under 17 tonnes per axle.
Owing to early complaints of uncomfortable pressure changes when entering tunnels at high speed on the LGV Atlantique, the Réseau sets are now pressure-sealed. They can be also coupled to a Duplex set.
Eurostar
The Eurostar train is essentially a long TGV, modified for use in the United Kingdom and in the
Channel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
. Differences include a smaller cross section to fit within the constrictive British
loading gaugeA loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
, British-designed
asynchronousAsynchrony, in the general meaning, is the state of not being synchronized.* Asynchronous learning* Collaborative editing systemsIn specific terms of digital logic and physical layer of communication, an asynchronous process does not require a clock signal...
traction motors, and extensive
fireproofingFireproofing, a passive fire protection measure, refers to the act of making materials or structures more resistant to fire, or to those materials themselves, or the act of applying such materials. Applying a certification listed fireproofing system to certain structures allows these to have a...
.
In the UK they are called class 373. In the planning stages they were called TransManche Super Train (Cross-channel Super Train). They were built by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) in
La RochelleLa Rochelle is a city in south-western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department....
(France),
BelfortBelfort is a town and commune of north-eastern France, préfecture of the Territoire de Belfort département in the Franche-Comté région. Population : 50,417...
(France) and
Washwood HeathWashwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England...
(England), entering service in 1993.
Two types were built: the Three Capitals sets, consisting of two power cars and 18 carriages, including two with one powered bogie each, and the North of London sets, consisting of two power cars and 14 carriages, again with two with one powered bogie each. Full sets of both types consist of two identical half-sets which are not articulated in the middle, so that in case of emergency in the Channel Tunnel one half can be uncoupled and leave the tunnel. Each half-set is numbered separately.
Thirty-eight full sets, plus one spare power car, were ordered: 16 by SNCF, four by
NMBS/SNCBThe National Railway Company of Belgium, also known as or Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges is the Belgian national railway operator. It was created in 1926. The NMBS/SNCB is an autonomous government company...
, and 18 by
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
, of which seven were North of London sets. Upon privatisation of
British RailBritish Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997...
by the UK Government, the BR sets were bought by
London and Continental Railways-History:Created at the time of the Privatisation of British Rail it bid for and won the contract from the UK government in 1996 to build and operate High Speed 1 between London and the Channel Tunnel...
, whose subsidiary
Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd.Eurostar Limited or EUKL is a subsidiary of London and Continental Railways . It is responsible for the British share of the joint Eurostar operation along with NMBS/SNCB and SNCF ....
is managed by a consortium of the
National Express GroupNational Express Group plc is a UK-based transport group with headquarters in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
(40%), SNCF (35%), SNCB (15%) and
British AirwaysBritish Airways plc is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick...
(10%).
The sets operate at a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), with the power cars supplying 12,240 kW of power. The Three Capitals sets are 394 m (1,293 ft) long and have 766 seats, weighing a total of 752 tonnes. The North of London sets have 558 seats. All are at least tri-current and are able to operate on 25 kV, 50 Hz AC (on LGVs, including High Speed 1, and on UK overhead electrified lines), 3 kV DC on
lignes classiques in Belgium and 750 V DC on the UK former Southern Region
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost fully...
network. The third-rail system became obsolete in 2007 when the second phase of High Speed 1 was brought into use between London and the Channel Tunnel, as it uses 25 kV, 50 Hz AC exclusively. Five of the Three Capitals sets owned by SNCF are quadri-current and are able to operate on French
lignes classiques at 1500 V DC.
Three of the Three Capitals sets owned by SNCF are in French domestic use and carry the silver and blue TGV livery. The North of London sets, intended to provide direct
regional EurostarRegional Eurostar was the name given to plans to operate Eurostar train services from Paris and Brussels to locations in the United Kingdom beyond London.-Beginnings:...
services from continental Europe to UK cities north of London, using the
West Coast Main LineThe West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It provides fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and southern Scotland....
and the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
, have never seen regular international use: budget airlines in the UK offered lower fares. A few of the sets were leased to
GNERGreat North Eastern Railway was a British train operating company, owned by Sea Containers Ltd. It operated high-speed express train services on the East Coast Main Line from 1996 until the takeover in 2007 of the franchise by National Express East Coast on 9 December 2007.Most of its trains ran...
for use on its
White Rose service between London and Leeds, with two of them carrying GNER's dark blue livery. The lease ended in December 2005 and a year later the same sets found themselves working services to Calais in France for SNCF, remaining in the standard Eurostar livery, minus the logos.
The Chief Executive of Eurostar, Richard Brown, has suggested that the trains could be replaced by double-decker trains similar to the TGV Duplex when they are withdrawn. A double-deck fleet could carry 40 million passengers per year from England to
Continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
, equivalent to adding an extra runway at a London airport.
Eurostar has higher security measures than other TGVs. Luggage is screened and passengers are theoretically required to check in 30 minutes before departure, although this requirement is seldom if ever enforced. Passengers entering or leaving the UK have to pass customs and identity checks.
TGV Duplex
The Duplex was built to increase TGV capacity without increasing train length or the number of trains. Each carriage has two levels, with access doors at the lower level, taking advantage of low French
platformsA railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
. A staircase gives access to the upper level, where the gangway between carriages is located. This layout provides 512 seats per set. On busy routes such as Paris-Marseille they are operated in pairs, providing 1,024 seats in a train of two Duplex sets, 800 in a Duplex set plus a Reseau set. Each set has a wheelchair accessible compartment.
After a lengthy development process starting in 1988 (during which they were known as the TGV-2N), they were built in two batches: 30 between 1995 and 1998 and 34 between 2000 and 2004. They weigh 380 tonnes and are 200 m (656 ft) long, made up of two power cars and eight
bi-levelA double-decker is a vehicle that has two levels for passengers or cargo, one deck above the other. Such vehicles include:* Aerial tramway* Bilevel car* Bombardier BiLevel Coach* Dome car* Double-deck aircraft* Double-deck elevator* Double-decker bus...
carriages. Extensive use of aluminium means that they weigh not much more than the TGV Réseau sets they supplement. The bi-current power cars provide 8,800 kW, and they have a slightly increased speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).
Thalys PBKA
Unlike Thalys PBA sets, the PBKA (Paris-Brussels-Köln (Cologne)-Amsterdam) sets were built exclusively for the Thalys service. They are technologically similar to TGV Duplex sets, but without bi-level carriages. They are quadri-current, operating under 25 kV, 50 Hz AC (LGVs), 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC (Germany, Switzerland), 3 kV DC (Belgium) and 1.5 kV DC (the Netherlands and French
lignes classiques). Their top speed in service is 300 km/h (186 mph) under 25 kV, with two power cars supplying 8,800 kW. When operating under 15 kV power output drops to 3,680 kW, resulting in a very poor power-to-weight-ratio on German high-speed lines. They have eight carriages and are 200 m (656 ft) long, weighing a total of 385 tonnes. They have 377 seats.
Seventeen trains were ordered, nine by SNCB, six by SNCF and two by
NSNederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operating company in the Netherlands. Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national rail infrastructure company ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003.Every day, over one million people of a population of 16 million...
.
Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
contributed to financing two of the SNCB sets.
TGV POS
TGV POS (Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland or Paris-Eastern France-Southern Germany) are used on the LGV Est.
They consist of two power cars with eight TGV Réseau type carriages, with a total power output of 9,600 kW and a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). Unlike TGV-A, TGV-R and TGV-D, it has asynchronous motors, and isolation of an individual motor in a powered bogie is possible in case of failure.
Network
France has around 1,700
kmThe kilometre , symbol km is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second....
of
Lignes à Grande Vitesse (LGV), with three lines under construction. The current lines and those under construction can be grouped into four routes radiating from Paris:
- West: LGV Atlantique
The LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
to Tours and Le Mans.
- North: LGV Nord
The LGV Nord is a French 333 km-long high speed rail line that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille; it opened in 1993.With a maximum speed of 300 km/h, the line has appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille...
and High Speed 1 to London, with a branch towards Brussels.
- East: LGV Est
The LGV Est européenne is an extension to the French high-speed TGV network, connecting Paris and Strasbourg. , it is the newest high-speed line in France and still under construction, with 300 km of a planned 406 km in service...
and LGV Rhin-RhôneThe LGV Rhin-Rhône is a high-speed railway line under construction running between Mulhouse and Lyon, in France. It will be used by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The eastern branch, a new line between Dijon and Mulhouse, will become a key link in both the...
to Strasbourg
- South: LGV Sud-Est
|}The LGV Sud-Est is a French high-speed passenger rail line, which links Paris and Lyon. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin and Sathonay on 22 September, 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.This line, subsequently extended...
, LGV Rhône-Alpes|}The LGV Rhône-Alpes is a 115 km-long French high-speed rail line situated in the Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opening to service in 1994, this line bypasses the built-up Lyon area towards the east, and in addition serves Satolas station, now renamed...
and LGV Méditerranée|}|}The LGV Méditerranée is a French high speed railway line of approximately 250 km length, which entered service in June, 2001. Running between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence and Marseille, it connects the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the LGV Rhône-Alpes, and...
to Marseille, plus a (planned) branch towards the LGV Perpignan-FigueresThe LGV Perpignan-Figueres is an international high speed rail line between France and Spain. The line will connect two cities on opposite sides of the border, Perpignan in Roussillon, France, and Figueres in Catalonia, Spain. It consists of a line which crosses the French–Spanish border via the...
.
The
LGV Interconnexion EstThe LGV Interconnexion Est is a French high-speed rail line that connects the LGV Nord and LGV Sud-Est through the Île de France. Opened in 1994, it consists of three branches, which begin at Coubert:...
connects the LGV Sud-Est to the LGV Nord around Paris, and the
LGV Rhin-RhôneThe LGV Rhin-Rhône is a high-speed railway line under construction running between Mulhouse and Lyon, in France. It will be used by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The eastern branch, a new line between Dijon and Mulhouse, will become a key link in both the...
(under construction) will connect Strasbourg and Lyon.
Existing lines
- LGV Sud-Est
|}The LGV Sud-Est is a French high-speed passenger rail line, which links Paris and Lyon. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin and Sathonay on 22 September, 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.This line, subsequently extended...
(ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Gare de LyonThe Gare de Lyon is one of the six large railway termini in Paris, France. It is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, most en route to the south of France. In general the station's SNCF services run to the south and east of France. The station also...
to Lyon-PerracheThis zone is served by the metro line Gare de Lyon-Perrache station is a large railway station in the quarter Perrache, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It was built in 1855 by Alexis Cendrier for the CF du PLM...
), the first LGV (opened 1981)
- LGV Atlantique
The LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
(Paris Gare MontparnasseThe Gare Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area, in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969...
to ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
and Le MansLe Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans....
) (opened 1990)
- LGV Rhône-Alpes
|}The LGV Rhône-Alpes is a 115 km-long French high-speed rail line situated in the Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opening to service in 1994, this line bypasses the built-up Lyon area towards the east, and in addition serves Satolas station, now renamed...
(Lyon to ValenceValence is a commune in south-eastern France, the capital of the department of Drôme, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseille...
) (opened 1992)
- LGV Nord
The LGV Nord is a French 333 km-long high speed rail line that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille; it opened in 1993.With a maximum speed of 300 km/h, the line has appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille...
(Paris Gare du NordThe Gare du Nord is one of the six large terminus stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines...
to LilleLille 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...
and BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
and on towards London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, AmsterdamAmsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country...
(HSL-ZuidHSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line between the Netherlands and Belgium. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol - Antwerp High-Speed Line. Originally scheduled to be in service by 2007, the first public operations began on September 7 2009, after a ceremony on...
) and CologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the German 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...
) (opened 1993)
- LGV Interconnexion Est
The LGV Interconnexion Est is a French high-speed rail line that connects the LGV Nord and LGV Sud-Est through the Île de France. Opened in 1994, it consists of three branches, which begin at Coubert:...
(LGV Sud-Est to LGV Nord Europe, east of Paris) (opened 1994)
- LGV Méditerranée
|}|}The LGV Méditerranée is a French high speed railway line of approximately 250 km length, which entered service in June, 2001. Running between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence and Marseille, it connects the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the LGV Rhône-Alpes, and...
(An extension of LGV Rhône-Alpes: Valence to Marseille Saint Charles) (opened 2001)
- High Speed 1 (Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the UK with Coquelles, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point it is deep...
to London St Pancras InternationalSt Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the United Kingdom that is celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the...
) (Phase 1 opened 2003, phase 2 opened 14 November 2007)
- LGV Est
The LGV Est européenne is an extension to the French high-speed TGV network, connecting Paris and Strasbourg. , it is the newest high-speed line in France and still under construction, with 300 km of a planned 406 km in service...
(Paris Gare de l'Est-StrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. With 702,412 inhabitants in 2007, its metropolitan area is the ninth largest in France...
) (opened 10 June 2007)
- HSL-Zuid
HSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line between the Netherlands and Belgium. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol - Antwerp High-Speed Line. Originally scheduled to be in service by 2007, the first public operations began on September 7 2009, after a ceremony on...
(AmsterdamAmsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country...
-BredaBreda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was a strategic military and political significance...
) (opened September 7, 2009)
Lines under construction
- LGV Perpignan-Figueres
The LGV Perpignan-Figueres is an international high speed rail line between France and Spain. The line will connect two cities on opposite sides of the border, Perpignan in Roussillon, France, and Figueres in Catalonia, Spain. It consists of a line which crosses the French–Spanish border via the...
(Spain to France) (due to open 2009, TGV service 2012)
- LGV Rhin-Rhône
The LGV Rhin-Rhône is a high-speed railway line under construction running between Mulhouse and Lyon, in France. It will be used by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The eastern branch, a new line between Dijon and Mulhouse, will become a key link in both the...
(Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
-DijonDijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population : 150,800 for the commune; 236,953 for the greater Dijon area....
-MulhouseMulhouse is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With 271,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2007 it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin department, and the second largest in the Alsace region after Strasbourg...
) (due to open 2011)
- HSL 4
The HSL 4 is a Belgian high-speed rail line currently under construction which will connect Brussels to the Dutch border. 87 km long , it was scheduled for completion by 2007...
(BredaBreda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was a strategic military and political significance...
-Antwerp||-||-||-||}Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions. Antwerp's total population is 472,071 and its total area is , giving a population density of 2,308 inhabitants per km²...
) (to open in later 2009)
- Haut-Bugey line - reconstruction of the Bellegarde - Bourg-en-Bresse line to reduce Paris-Geneva by 47 km and 20 minutes although it is not a high speed line. Due to open in 2010.
Planned lines
- Lyon Turin Ferroviaire
Lyon Turin Ferroviaire , subsidiary of Réseau Ferré de France and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana , is the promoter of the joint French-Italian part of the future rail link between Lyon and Turin....
(Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
-ChambéryChambéry is commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made it his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry was founded at...
-TurinTurin is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch...
), connecting to the Italian TAVTreno Alta Velocità SpA is special purpose entity owned by RFI for the planning and construction of a high-speed network in Italy.-Purpose:...
network.
- LGV Sud Europe Atlantique
The LGV Sud Europe Atlantique , also known as the LGV Sud-Ouest, is a high-speed railway line in the early stages of construction, running between Tours and Bordeaux, in France. When built, it will be used by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The project has been...
(ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
-Bordeauxis a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
), extending the southern branch of the LGV AtlantiqueThe LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
(also called LGV Sud-Ouest).
- LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire
The LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire is a proposed French high-speed rail line which is scheduled to enter service around 2014. Running between Le Mans and Rennes, it would be serviced by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The total cost is put at €3.4bn, with funding...
(Le MansLe Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans....
-RennesThe Parlement de Bretagne| map =|region = Bretagne|department = Ille-et-Vilaine|arrondissement = Rennes|canton = Chief town of 11 cantons|INSEE = 35238...
), extending the western branch of the LGV AtlantiqueThe LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
.
- Bordeaux
is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
-ToulouseToulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan...
-NarbonneNarbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon région. It lies from Paris in the Aude département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
- Bordeaux
is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
-Spanish border-Vitoria-GasteizVitoria-Gasteiz, is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain. It is the second largest Basque city, after Bilbao...
and IrunIrun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Guipuscoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
- LGV
The LGV Poitiers-Limoges is an approximately 100 km long French high speed rail project reserved for passenger traffic between Poitiers and Limoges...
PoitiersPoitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne département and of the Poitou-Charentes région...
-LimogesLimoges is a city and commune in France, the préfecture of the Haute-Vienne département, and the administrative capital of the Limousin région....
- LGV Picardie (Paris
Paris is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- AmiensAmiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardie.-History:The Paleolithic culture named Acheulean was named for its first identified site, in Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens...
- CalaisCalais is a town in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
), cutting off the corner of the LGV Nord-Europe via Lille.
- LGV Provence
LGV Provence is a railroad proposed by the government of France.The French government approved a coastal route for the TGV line it plans to construct between Marseille and Nice by 2020. The line, projected to cost 15 billion Euros, will reduce travel times between Paris and Nice from 5h25 to 3h50...
(MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
- NiceNice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille, France, and Genoa, Italy, with 347 060 inhabitants in the 2006 estimate...
), will reduce Paris - Nice travel times from 5h25 to 3h50 by 2025.
- LGV Paris-Cherbourg
An LGV line from Paris to Cherbourg is proposed. It was announced by President Sarkozy in April 2009, with a few further details fleshed out during a visit to Rouen by French Transport minister, Dominique Bussereau. Working groups have been established consisting of leaders of the local governments...
will run from Paris to Rouen, Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg. The line would have a stop in La Defense where it would meet with a proposed link to LGV Nord and a proposed Eurostar service to terminate in La Defense.
Amsterdam and Cologne are served by
ThalysThalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains. Thalys reaches...
TGVs running on ordinary track, and these connections are being upgraded to high-speed rail. London is served by
EurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains cross under the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
trains running on High Speed 1 - Eurostar now runs on fully-segregated line once in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
TGV technology outside France
TGV technology has been adopted in a number of other countries separately from the French network:
- AVE
Alta Velocidad Española is a service of high speed trains operating at speeds of up to on dedicated track in Spain. The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird"....
(Alta Velocidad Española), in SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
.
- Korea Train Express
The Korea Train eXpress is South Korea's high-speed rail system, which connects the capital Seoul to Busan and Mokpo. Operated by Korail, the train's technology is largely based on the French TGV system, and has a top speed of 350 km/h, limited to 300 km/h during regular service for...
(KTX), in South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
.
- Acela Express
Acela Express is Amtrak's rail service that uses high-speed tilting trains. Acela operates along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.The tilting design allows the train to travel at higher speeds on...
, a high-speed tilting trainA tilting train has a mechanism that enables increased speed on regular railway tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to its...
built by TGV participant BombardierBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Bombardier Inc.. Bombardier Transportation is the world’s largest company in the rail equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany....
for the United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which uses TGV motor technology (though the rest of the train is unrelated).
- The Moroccan government agreed to a €2 billion contract for the French construction firm Alstom
Alstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
to build a TGV-line between TangierTangier or Tangiers [
pronounce] is a city of northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000...
and CasablancaCasablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean...
. The train is to be operational in 2013.
- The Buenos Aires-Rosario-Córdoba high-speed railway
The Buenos Aires–Rosario–Córdoba high-speed railway is a project designed to link the Argentine cities of Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba through a high-speed rail network...
, in ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
, will have French TGV Duplex trains, running at 320 km/h.
- Italian open-access high-speed operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori
Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori is an Italian company which plans to be Europe's first private open access operator of 300 km/h high speed trains. NTV was created by four Italian businessmen to compete with Trenitalia...
has signed up with AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
to purchase 25 AGVThe AGV 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’. Instead of having separate power cars at either end of the train, as current TGVs do, the AGV will have distributed...
11-car sets (TGV 4th generation, running at 350 km/h) for delivery starting in 2009.
Future TGVs
SNCF and Alstom are investigating new technology that could be used for high-speed transport.
The development of TGV trains is being pursued in the form of the
AGVThe AGV 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’. Instead of having separate power cars at either end of the train, as current TGVs do, the AGV will have distributed...
,
automotrice à grande vitesse (high speed multiple unit). The AGV design has motors under each carriage. Investigations are being carried out with the aim of producing trains at the same cost as existing TGVs with the same safety standards. AGVs of the same length as TGVs could have up to 450 seats. The target speed is 360 km/h. The prototype AGV was unveiled by Alstom on February 5 2008.
In the short term, plans are being considered to increase the capacity of TGVs by 10% by replacing the central two power cars of a double TGV with passenger carriages. These carriages would have motorised bogies underneath them, as would the first and last carriage of the train, to make up for the lost power.
Italian operator
NTVNuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori is an Italian company which plans to be Europe's first private open access operator of 300 km/h high speed trains. NTV was created by four Italian businessmen to compete with Trenitalia...
is the first customer for the AGV, and intends to become the first open access high speed rail operator in Europe, when it starts operation of its AGVs in Italy in 2011.
Accidents
In more than two decades of high-speed operation, the TGV has not recorded a single fatality due to accident while running at high speed. There have been several accidents, including three derailments at or above 270 km/h (168 mph), but in none of these did any carriages overturn. This is credited in part to the stiffness that the articulated design lends to the train. There have been fatal accidents involving TGVs on
lignes classiques, where the trains are exposed to the same dangers as normal trains, such as
level crossingThe term level crossing is a crossing on one level — without recourse to a bridge or tunnel — of a railway line by a road or path...
s.
On LGVs
- 14 December 1992: TGV 920 from Annecy to Paris, operated by set 56, derailed at 270 km/h (168 mph) at Mâcon-Loché TGV station (Saône-et-Loire). A previous emergency stop had caused a wheel flat; the bogie concerned derailed while crossing the points
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
at the entrance to the station. No one on the train was injured, but 25 passengers waiting on the platform for another TGV were slightly injured by ballast that was thrown up from the trackbed.
- 21 December 1993: TGV 7150 from Valenciennes to Paris, operated by set 511, derailed at 300 km/h (186 mph) at the site of Haute Picardie TGV station, before it was built. Rain had caused a hole to open up under the track; the hole dated from the First World War
World War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
but had not been detected during construction. The front power car and four carriages derailed but remained aligned with the track. Of the 200 passengers, one was slightly injured.
- 5 June 2000: Eurostar 9073 from Paris to London, operated by sets 3101/2 owned by NMBS/SNCB
The National Railway Company of Belgium, also known as or Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges is the Belgian national railway operator. It was created in 1926. The NMBS/SNCB is an autonomous government company...
, derailed at 250 km/h (155 mph) in the Nord-Pas de CalaisNord-Pas-de-Calais is one of the 26 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Until the end of the 20th century both the region and the department were called Nord...
region near CroisillesCroisilles 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...
. The transmission assembly on the rear bogie of the front power car failed, with parts falling onto the track. Four bogies out of 24 derailed. Out of 501 passengers, seven were bruised and others treated for shock.
On lignes classiques
- 31 December 1983: A bomb allegedly planted by the terrorist organisation of Carlos the Jackal exploded on board a TGV from Marseille to Paris; two people were killed.
- 28 September 1988: TGV 736, operated by set 70 "Melun", collided with a lorry carrying an electric transformer weighing 100 tonnes that had become stuck on a level crossing in Voiron
Voiron is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.-History:Voiron long formed part of Savoy, but in 1355 was exchanged by the count with France for Faucigny and Gex.Historical population:* 1901: 12,625-Geography:Voiron stands at a height of 950 ft., on the Morge Voiron is a...
, IsèreIsère is a department, in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :...
. The vehicle had not been permitted to cross by the French Direction départementale de l'équipement. The weight of the lorry caused a very violent collision; the train driver and a passenger died, and 25 passengers were slightly injured.
- 4 January 1991: after a brake failure, TGV 360 ran away from Châtillon depot. The train was directed onto an unoccupied track and collided with the car loading ramp at Paris-Vaugirard station at 60 km/h (37 mph). No one was injured. The leading power car and the first two carriages were severely damaged, and were rebuilt.
- 25 September 1997: TGV 7119 from Paris to Dunkerque, operated by set 502, collided at 130 km/h (81 mph) with a 70 tonne (77 short ton; 69 long ton) asphalt paving machine on a level crossing at Bierne, near Dunkerque. The power car spun round and fell down an embankment. The front two carriages left the track and came to a stop in woods beside the track. Seven people were injured.
- 31 October 2001: TGV 8515 from Paris to Irun derailed at 130 km/h (81 mph) near Dax
Dax is a commune in Aquitaine in south-western France, sub-prefecture of the Landes department.It is particularly famous as a spa, specialising in mud treatment for rheumatism and similar ailments....
in southwest France. All ten carriages derailed and the rear power unit fell over. The cause was a broken rail.
- 30 January 2003: a TGV from Dunkerque to Paris collided at 106 km/h (66 mph) with a heavy goods vehicle stuck on the level crossing at Esquelbecq in northern France. The front power car was severely damaged, but only one bogie derailed. Only the driver was slightly injured.
- 19 December 2007: a TGV train from Paris to Geneva collided at about 100 km/h (62 mph) with a truck on a level crossing near Tossiat
Tossiat is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-References:*...
in eastern France, near the Swiss border. The driver of the truck died; on the train, one was seriously injured and 24 were slightly injured.
Following the number of accidents at level crossings, an effort has been made to remove all level crossings on
lignes classiques used by TGVs. The
ligne classique from
ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
to
Bordeauxis a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
at the end of the LGV Atlantique has no level crossings as a result.
Protests against the TGV
The first environmental protests against the building of a high-speed line in France occurred in May 1990 during the planning stages of the LGV Méditerranée. Protesters blocked a railway viaduct to protest against the planned route, arguing that it was unnecessary, and that trains could use existing lines to reach Marseille from Lyon.
Lyon Turin FerroviaireLyon Turin Ferroviaire , subsidiary of Réseau Ferré de France and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana , is the promoter of the joint French-Italian part of the future rail link between Lyon and Turin....
(
Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
-
ChambéryChambéry is commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made it his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry was founded at...
-
TurinTurin is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch...
), which would connect the TGV to the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
TAVTreno Alta Velocità SpA is special purpose entity owned by RFI for the planning and construction of a high-speed network in Italy.-Purpose:...
network, has been the subject of demonstrations in Italy. While most Italian political parties agree on the construction of this line, inhabitants of the towns where construction would take place are vehemently opposing it. The concerns of the protesters centre around storing dangerous materials mined from mountain, like
asbestosAsbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos is a borrowed Greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the miracle mineral because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand...
and
uraniumUranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the symbol U and atomic number 92. Besides its 92 protons, a uranium nucleus can have between 141 and 146 neutrons. The most common uranium isotopes are U-238 and U-235 . A uranium atom has...
, in the open air. This serious health danger could be avoided by using more appropriate but expensive techniques for handling radioactive materials. A six-month delay in the start of construction has been decided in order to study solutions. In addition to the concerns of the residents, RFB - a ten year old national movement - opposes the development of Italy's
TAVTreno Alta Velocità SpA is special purpose entity owned by RFI for the planning and construction of a high-speed network in Italy.-Purpose:...
high-speed railHigh-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...
network as a whole.
General complaints about the noise of TGVs passing near towns and villages have led the SNCF to build acoustic fencing along large sections of LGVs to reduce the disturbance to residents, but protests still take place where SNCF has not addressed the issue.
See also
- LGV construction
- TGV world speed record
The TGV holds a series of world speed records achieved by SNCF, the French national railway, 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...
- overview and chronology of speed record attempts
- iDTGV
iDTGV is a TGV high speed train service from SNCF, the French national railroad company, aimed at younger people. It promises low fares between Paris and the south of France and only sells its tickets online....
- Train categories in Europe
Railway companies in Europe assign their trains to different categories or train types depending on their role. Passenger trains may be broadly split into long-distance and local trains; the latter having average journey times of under an hour and a range of less than 50 kilometres. Goods trains...
Further reading
- Cinotti, Eric and Tréboul, Jean-Baptiste (2000) Les TGV européens : Eurostar, Thalys, Paris : Presses universitaires de France, ISBN 2-13-050565-1 (in French
French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
)
- Perren, Brian (2000) TGV handbook, 2nd ed., Harrow Weald : Capital Transport, ISBN 1-85414-195-3
- Soulié, Claude and Tricoire, Jean (2002) Le grand livre du TGV, Paris : La Vie du rail, ISBN 2-915034-01-X (in French
French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
)
External links