The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocket and Concorde supersonic airliner; sponsored by the Government of France, those funding programmes were known as ('national champion') policies. In 2025, the TGV network in France carried 168 million passengers.
AI overview
The TGV is France's intercity high-speed rail service that operates at speeds up to those found on newer lines, originally developed as part of a broader French government initiative to advance national technology alongside projects like the Ariane rocket and Concorde airliner. In 2025, the TGV network transported 168 million passengers, making it a major transportation system in France.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Rail.railroad_name
- LGV network
- Rail.logo_filename
- TGV logo (2012).svg
- Rail.image
- SNCF TGV Duplex 2N2 4718 (8464339495).jpg
- Rail.image_size
- 300px
- Rail.image_caption
- TGV 2N2 at Gare de l'Est in Paris, 2013
- Rail.end_year
- present
- Rail.gauge
- (standard gauge)
- Rail.map_size
- 300px
- Rail.system_map
- File:France TGV.png
- Rail.map_caption
- High-speed lines in France
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
29 sectionsContents
- History
- Development
- Service
- Milestones
- Passenger usage
- Rolling stock
- TGV Sud-Est
- TGV Atlantique
- TGV Réseau
- TGV Duplex
- TGV POS
- Avelia Euroduplex (TGV 2N2)
- TGV M Avelia Horizon
- TGV technology outside France
- Lines in operation
- Accidents
- On LGVs
- On classic lines
- Protests against the TGV
- Mail services
- Mobile hospital service
- Rebranding
- TGV inOui
- Ouigo
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocket and Concorde supersonic airliner; sponsored by the Government of France, those funding programmes were known as ('national champion') policies. In 2025, the TGV network in France carried 168 million passengers.
The state-owned SNCF started working on a high-speed rail network in 1966. It presented the project to President Georges Pompidou in 1974 who approved it. Originally designed as turbotrains to be powered by gas turbines, TGV prototypes evolved into electric trains with the 1973 oil crisis. In 1976 the SNCF ordered 87 high-speed trains from Alstom. Following the inaugural service between Paris and Lyon in 1981 on the LGV Sud-Est, the network, centred on Paris, has expanded to connect major cities across France, including Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Rennes and Montpellier, as well as in neighbouring countries on a combination of high-speed and conventional lines. The success of the first high-speed service led to a rapid development of lignes à grande vitesse (LGVs, 'high-speed lines') to the south (Rhône-Alpes, Méditerranée, Nîmes–Montpellier), west (Atlantique, Bretagne-Pays de la Loire, Sud Europe Atlantique), north (Nord, Interconnexion Est) and east (Rhin-Rhône, Est). Since it was launched, the TGV has not recorded a single passenger fatality in an accident on normal, high-speed service.