Rail transport in france

Railway construction in France began in the early 19th century. By the end of the century, most main lines of the country’s railway network were laid down. Many railway lines radiated out from Paris, which served as the country’s transportation hub. French railroads were nationalized in 1937. Independent railway companies and the state-controlled railways joined together in the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais (French National Railways, or SNCF), with the state owning a controlling share.

The railway network reached its peak length of 42,000 km in 1932. In the decades after World War II, railways declined sharply in importance. Many little-used rural railways were closed. Rail’s share of domestic freight traffic fell from 62 % in 1958 to 16 % in 1997. Today, France has 29,000 km of railroad track in use, two-fifths of which is electrified.

Rail passenger traffic remains important in France. The development of the high-speed TGV train led to the construction of several new lines, increased the speed of rail passenger traffic, and considerably decreased journey times. TGV can travel at speeds up to 320 kmh on specially built track, but the trains must travel much slower on conventional track. Nowadays, the TGV network carries more than one-fifth of all rail passengers.

The first TGV line was completed in 1981. It linked Paris with Lyon. A second line connected Paris with Nantes and Bordeaux. It was entered service in 1989. A third line linked Paris with Lille in 1993. In 1994, freight and passenger train service started through the Channel Tunnel, the world's longest undersea tunneling project connecting Calais, France, and Dover, England. Today, high-speed rail lines link Paris and other major French cities to many destinations outside of France, including cities in England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. TGV lines proved so successful they largely replaced passenger air travel between connected cities. Using the TGV, passengers can travel between Brussels and Paris in just 90 minutes.