page_title: TGV
section_title: Service
hierarchical_section_title: TGV / History / Service
caption_attribution_description: English: SNCF TGV Duplex 6841 Strasbourg - Montpellier has just accelerated to about 300 km/h on the new LGV Rhin-Rhône between Belfort and Dijon. Pictured near Héricourt, France. Deutsch: Ein TGV Duplex der SNCF ist unterwegs als Zug 6841 Strasbourg - Montpellier und hat auf der LGV Rhin-Rhône zwischen Belfort und Dijon hier bei Héricourt gerade ungefähr 300 km/h erreicht. Français&#160;: Un TGV Duplex de la SNCF Strasbourg - Montpellier après le viaduc de la Lizaine à Héricourt.
context_page_description: The TGV is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by the SNCF, the state-owned national rail operator. The SNCF started working on a high-speed rail network in 1966 and later presented the project to President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing 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 GEC-Alsthom. Following the inaugural service between Paris and Lyon in 1981 on the LGV Sud-Est, the network, centered on Paris, has expanded to connect major cities across France and in neighbouring countries on a combination of high-speed and conventional lines. The TGV network in France carries about 110 million passengers a year.
  Like the Shinkansen in Japan, the TGV has never experienced a fatal accident during its operational history; the onboard security systems are among the world's most advanced. The high-speed tracks, maintained by SNCF Réseau, are also subject to heavy regulation.
context_section_description: The TGV opened to the public between Paris and Lyon on 27 September 1981. Contrary to its earlier fast services, SNCF intended TGV service for all types of passengers, with the same initial ticket price as trains on the parallel conventional line. To counteract the popular misconception that the TGV would be a 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 enhanced in the Mitterrand era with the promotional slogan "Progress means nothing unless it is shared by all". The TGV was considerably faster (in terms of door to door travel time) than normal trains, cars, or aeroplanes. The trains became widely popular, the public welcoming fast and practical travel.
  The Eurostar service began operation in 1994, connecting continental Europe to London via the Channel Tunnel and the LGV Nord-Europe with a version of the TGV designed for use in the tunnel and the United Kingdom. The first phase of the British High Speed 1 line, or Channel Tunnel Rail Link, was completed in 2003, the second phase in November 2007. The fastest trains take 2 hours 15 minutes London–Paris and 1 hour 51 minutes London–Brussels. The first twice-daily London-Amsterdam service ran April 3, 2018, and took 3 hours 47 minutes.
caption: A TGV Duplex in Héricourt, Haute-Saône on the LGV Rhin-Rhône
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