TGV

TGV is an electric oar built in France ready to circulate at the speed of 270 km/h to 320 km/h in commercial exploitation according to the types. It was initially developed by the SNCF and was built by division transport of the company Alstom (in the past GEC Alsthom). More precisely they are two independent motor coaches framing eight or ten cars.

Except three specifically arranged TGV used by La Poste between Paris and Lyon, the TGV is exclusively a service of passenger transports.

Name TGV

The term TGV in the broad sense indicates the railway system made up by this material and the dedicated line (LGV or Ligne at High speed) enabling him to reach its optimal performances.

The initials TGV meant in the beginning “ Très High speed ” in the denomination of the first experimental Turbotrain TGV 001. It was a question of marking a new stage, by exceeding 200 km/h practiced (parsimoniously) on the traditional network since 1967. The everyday usage of these initials to indicate this oar made evolve naturally its significance to “Train at High speed”.

Today, “ TGV ” is a Registered trademark of the SNCF. The logo of mark TGV, with the metallized aspect, is supposed to evoke fluidity, the speed and the power of the train. With back, the logo can evoke a Escargot, the speed of the TGV being thus put in opposition of this symbol of slowness. The current slogan of the TGV is TGV, take time to go quickly ; it was before TGV: Save time over time .

History

August 1st

At the origins of the TGV

The idea to create a train at high speed to connect the French main cities emerged during the Années 1960, after the Japan had begun the construction of the Shinkansen in 1959. At the time, the SNCF sought a means of rectifying the frequentation of its trains, who dropped unrelentingly. A substantial increase speed appeared as the solution which would enable him to compete with the Automobile effectively and the Avion. It was stimulated by the experiments of the project of Aérotrain which called upon the technology of the air cushion radically different from the contact coils/rail of the traditional railroad. It also tried out the way of the light Turbotrain S testing since 1967 the prototype TGS.

The 1 {{er}} August 1966, a research center is born with the SNCF, with the launching of the study “possibilities railway at very high speed on new infrastructures”, the project “CO3”, which combines the high speed and the clocking. This project innovates at the same time by the idea of the creation of new lines and by the attention paid to quality of service and tariffing, whereas the policy of the SNCF at that time aimed firstly the reduction of the costs. After presentbeing presented to the public authorities in 1969, project CO3 is adopted in inter-ministerial committee the March 25th 1971.

In its first version, the TGV was to be mû by gas turbines. This choice was justified by the relatively small size of the turbines, them specific Power high and their capacity to deliver a power raised during an important time. The first prototype TGV 001, left the workshops Alsthom of Belfort the October 25th 1971 and was the only oar of this type ever built.

July 28th, 1978, delivery of first oar TGV of preproduction TGV001. The tests of the TGV 001, which began the April 4th 1972, brought however much of useful lesson following the project, in particular in the field of the old Frein with high-speed, which required to dissipate an important quantity of kinetic energy, Aérodynamique and indication. The oar was articulated, two adjacent cases resting on a common Bogie while preserving a possibility of relative movement.

This prototype reached the speed of 318 km/h, which to date remains the railway world speed records in thermal traction. Style of the TGV, as well interior as external with the nose characteristic of the motor coaches, to the designer French Jacques Cooper is due and marked the following generations of material.

Birth of the current TGV

Following the oil crisis of 1973, the choice was made return to the electric traction, with routing of the current by Caténaire S and collecting by pantograph. The reasons of this choice were as much political than technical or economic: indeed, the cost of energy did not represent whereas approximately 5% cost of traction, are 20 francs of the time by rame/km (16 €uros equivalent 2007), and the cost of an electric oar was of approximately 10% higher than that of a turbine oar, for a lower capacity, without counting the cost of the fixed installations.

The passage to the electric traction forced to take again the research program and of tests in many fields.

The SNCF transformed into 1974 a railcar Z 7100 to build the prototype Z 7001 called Zébulon, which made it possible to test several innovations:

pantographs on two floors;
driving of traction suspended on the case to reduce (2,95 T in less) the not suspended masses of the bogies and to thus reduce the efforts on the way;
new provisions suspension braking.

Zébulon traversed approximately a million kilometers in trial runs.

In 1974, the president Pompidou decided launching of the project, and the Prime Minister Pierre Messmer decided the March 5th to engage the construction of a first line between Paris and Lyon, South-eastern LGV (LN1).

The project was entirely financed by the SNCF, primarily on loans. That involved an explosion of the Endettement of the national company. This debt will lead with other reasons (directives voted by the European Parliament in particular) to the reform of 1997 which will see the creation of RF.

According to a trial run carried out with two oars of preproduction, the first order was delivered starting from the April 25th 1980. Service TGV opened with the public between Paris and Lyon the September 27th 1981.

The initial target was the business trips between these two cities, but right from the start, the great majority of the oars were opened with the second class. Considerably reduced run time compared to the former situation (grace also to the more direct layout of the line, which brought back the distance between the two towns of 512 to 426 kilometers) made it possible to acquire new market shares with the detriment of the car and aviation.

The innovation was not only technical, but also commercial:

tariff simplicity (removal of the supplements);
and especially obligation of reservation, which ensured a very high load factor;
then later the introduction of the clocking.

The conquest speed

The TGV was not the first Train at high speed to enter in business service the world. The Shinkansen Japanese connected Tōkyō to Ōsaka as of on October 1st 1964, nearly 17 years before the first TGV.

Even if this realization were accompanied by the construction of a new line and a true service of mass, it should be noted that its speed was only of 210 km/h in the beginning, that is to say hardly more than 200 km/h practiced in business service by some TEE starting from 1965 in Germany, and of 1967 in France.

The February 26th 1981, oar 16 of the TGV obtained first speed records on South-eastern LGV to 380 km/h. The purpose of these speed records, for which tens of journalists had been invited, were not to add a new record to the prize list of the SNCF, but rather to reassure the future travellers, by showing that 260 km/h to which they would be transported soon could be reached in full safety.

After a German oar of tests InterCityExpress (ICE-V) of the Deutsche Bahn (dB) had rolled to 406.9 km/h on the line at high speed Hanover - Würzburg on May 1st 1988, the SNCF improved semi-officially this record the December 12th 1988 while making roll oar TGV PSE 88 to 408.4 km/h on South-eastern LGV during tests of the chain of synchronous traction of the futures Atlantic TGV.

The May 18th 1990, the TGV obtained the world speed records on rail, to 515.3 km/h on LGV Atlantique, with an oar of test Atlantique numbered 325 shortened with three intermediate cases instead of ten.

The April 3rd 2007 towards 13:15 on LGV Is European, the SNCF beats its own record while managing to make roll the oar of tests 4402 at the speed of 574.8 km/h (either 159.6 meters/second). This speed corresponds to Mach 0,47 (for a temperature of 15 °C)! This record lay within the scope of the program “V150” aiming at exceeding the speed of 150 m/s (either 540 km/h). A Duplex oar made up of three trailers only had been especially prepared and its power had been doubled compared to the traditional TGV. It had wheels of a large diameter and the car in the center of the oar was equipped with Bogie S motorized of future AGV. For the remainder, this train was similar to a train of series the SNCF. During the phase of tests, the speed of 568 km/h had been reached already. It was a question on April 3rd of obtaining approved speed records.

The TGV also established a record of endurance , on May 26th, 2001 in the railroads with the way Calais - Marseilles (1067 km) in 3:29, during the inauguration of LGV the Mediterranean. It also established the May 17th 2006 a world records of the more long distance traversed without stop by a passenger train , while transporting in an oar Eurostar the team of the film Da Vinci Code of London to Cannes, that is to say 1421 km in 7:25.

The TGV remains, in 2007, the train on the fastest rail in the world in business service (in Japan, the Maglev holds the speed records for the trains with magnetic lift, and in China, the Transrapid of Shanghai was the object of an commercial exploitation). Recently, an average standard course was established to 263.3 km/h mean velocity of station at station.

Extension of the service

See also: Contenu=Voir also the section devoted to the ''' [[#Les services]], [[services]] '''

After the opening in 1981 of South-eastern LGV allowing connections between Paris and the South-east of the France, the network of new lines did not cease extending, while the service roads were well to beyond thanks to compatibility with the traditional network:

the first TGV “province-province” were launched in 1984 between Lille and Lyon via the Grande Belt, and in 1986 between Rouen and Lyon.

In 1989 and 1990, LGV Atlantique made it possible the TGV to serve about fifty new cities.

In 1993, it is with the tower of Northern LGV more largely to open the TGV with the international traffic, with the Eurostar towards London and the Thalys towards the Benelux, without counting the new stations served in France.

LGV Interconnexion Is made it possible in 1994 to shorten the ways “province-province”, and to serve other stations franciliennes that the only Parisian stations.

LGV the Mediterranean allowed in 2001 to bring closer the the Mediterranean to Paris, and to extend network TGV once again. TGV also go in Suisse and Italy, respectively under the marks Lyria and Artésia.

Enfin LGV Is European, open the June 10th 2007, which still extends the network towards the East of the France, the Germany, the Luxembourg and even the Suisse. On this date the network represents 1847 km.

The lines the Rhine-Rhone and Perpignan-Figueres - Barcelona is in construction, while many other projects also exist.

LGV represent, in 2006, an overall length of 1550 km, that is to say approximately 5% network in exploitation in France.

The material

Design

The characteristic of the motorized oars TGV, for example compared to the materials ICE 3 and Velaro of Siemens, that they consist of two motor coaches with two Bogie S framing an articulated section, is composed of trailers whose intermediate bogies are common to two adjacent cases.

The articulation between two cases calls upon an original device which makes it possible to solidarize with damping the two cases.

This provision has several advantages:

for energy consumption, this provision having allowed to decrease the number of axles, to lower the Center of gravity oar and the Master-couple;
for comfort, any sitted traveller finding itself on the level of the Axle X, and the damping of the cases between them limiting the transmission of vibrations since the bogies;
for safety, the oar articulated but rigid in torsion resists better in the event of derailment that a traditional Train which has tendency to désarticuler. That does not guarantee naturally a collision risk with another train on an adjacent way.

Two oars can be coupled in multiple unit what makes it possible to double the capacity offered by a train. Impossibility of easily separating the trailers from the central section requires installations of lifting able to raise a whole oar in the maintenance workshops. Running on traditional railways, the TGV is perfectly compatible with the existing installations, since they are electrified.

However, the waves generated by the friction of the pantograph move, on a traditional Caténaire, at a speed close to 350 km/h. When the train runs at a speed close to these waves, it can catch up with them. The pantograph is not then any more in contact but per moments with the overhead line, which causes a power supply intermittently, preventing a normal circulation of the oar. It is thus necessary to more tighten the overhead line to face circulations with high speeds to 350 km/h, which accelerates its wear. With the record of March 2007, the speed of the wave was about 620 km/h, hardly higher at the speed reached (574 km/h).

Motorization

The first TGV functioned using driving with D.C. current supplied with reversible Redresseur S.

At the end of the years 1980, the development of the electronic of power made it possible to substitute the synchronous motor for the engine for D.C. current. These engines are initially supplied using Onduleur S of current with Thyristor (1988). At that time the electronics of power necessary to their food is much simpler than that required by the asynchronous motor .

The use of synchronous motors had several advantages:

Driving simpler and lighter at equal power:

TGV-SE : 12 engines with D.C. current of 535 kw and 1560 kg;
TGV-A : 8 engines of 1100 kw and 1450 kg.

couple with high starting;
absence of collectors thus not of problems of commutation;
improvement of the Power-factor (always lower than 0,8 for an oar TGV-SE, always higher than 0,95 for an oar TGV-A).

Nevertheless, the synchronous motor is more expensive and requires more maintenance than the asynchronous motor . With progress of the electronics of power (inverter of tension with IGBT), this last will supplant the synchronous motor as of the middle of the years 1990 in almost all the fields of traction. This type of motorization is installed on the motor coaches of Eurostar, with thyristors GTO, and maintaining on TGV POS, with thyristors IGBT.

Electrical circuits of order

The TGV-A inaugurated the management of the oar by computers connected in network. Baptized TORNAD (Token Ring Network Alsthom Device), the system is composed of 18 equipment (computers).

For the following generations of TGV (TGV-R TGV-DUPLEX TGV-POS), the computers are connected between them by network TORNAD. It is about a network of the type Token drunk (802.4).

Evolutions

See also: Matériel_moteur_de_la_SNCF#Rames_TGV, Material engine of the SNCF

The SNCF exploits in April 2007 a park of 427 oars TGV:

South-eastern TGV (renovated in 1998 and 2001): brought into service in 1981
Atlantic TGV: brought into service in 1989 (renovated in 2006-2007)
TGV Network: brought into service in 1993
TGV TMST (Transmanche super train or Eurostar): brought into service in 1994
Duplex TGV; brought into service of 1996 to 2006
TGV POS (Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland: Paris - Is France - Germany of the South) startup on June 10th, 2007
TGV Dasy (Duplex asynchronous ERMTS): 23 startups of ordered November 2007 in June 2009 and 25 on June 27th, 2007
Duplex TGV NG (Duplex new generation): 55 + 40 ordered options on June 27th, 2007 for TGV the Rhine-Rhone, Thalys new line, Artesia and replacement of certain South-eastern Paris connections. Delivery as from the 2nd six-month period 2009

The total park will be of 585 oars with the whole of the order (80) and the options (40) of June 27th, 2007

The SNCF envisages a public invitation to tender for oars on a floor new generation for startup from 2012 of 20 oars per annum.

On the level of the evolutions of the TGV, since 2005, the SNCF undertakes the progressive restoration of all its TGV. Those from now on are equipped by the large Christian Lacroix dressmaker. These new TGV comprise less seats than the old ones.

Price

The value of a traditional oar TGV is around 15 million euros, that of an oar of the type Duplex with the purchase is estimated enters 24 and 28 million euros (value 2005) while a Eurostar can cost up to 32 million euros.

The infrastructure

Lines at high speed (LGV)

Services

See also: List of the stations served by TGV

It is in 1981 that first service TGV between Paris and Lyon was launched, using part of the “South-eastern LGV” known as “New Line 1” (LN1) still partially in construction (completion 1983, with one run time between the two cities carried of 2:40 to 2:00).

Right from the start service TGV continued by traditional way towards some other cities of South-east: Marseilles, Montpellier and middle stations. Since, network TGV centered on Paris extended until connecting from now on many French cities, partly thanks to the construction of new lines at high speed towards the south, the west, north and soon is France since June 10th, 2007. However the relatively weak mileage of new lines (approximately 1800 km in June 2007) made that today still the TGV reaches many cities only by continuing its course on traditional or arranged railway line, at speeds going from 160 to 220 km/h (case of Rennes, Bordeaux, Toulouse or Basle).

The service roads in the TGV use the new lines on part of their courses and continue on the traditional network at distances sometimes rather long, including in the adjoining countries of France. The majority are radial service roads on the basis of Paris or there arriving, some follow transverse relations avoiding intramural Paris by borrowing the line of interconnection from the east of the capital or the Grande Belt in the south. The TGV serve more than 150 Gare S in France, including eight in Île-de-France and more than one about thirty in the countries bordering.

Innovation in France out of the suburban connections, the axes Paris-Brussels, Paris-Lille and Paris-Lyon have given rhythm time (departures and arrived at the same minutes of each hour during all the day).

National service roads, in France

radial Service roads:

South-eastern TGV: of Paris-Lyon to

Lyon-Perrache via the Creusot-TGV, Mâcon-Loach TGV, Lyon-Share-God; services go beyond towards Saint-Etienne-Châteaucreux.
Dijon via Montbard; services go beyond towards Montbeliard and the the Jura.

TGV the Alps: of Paris-Lyon:

with Grenoble via Lyon - Saint-Exupéry TGV;
with Annecy via Culoz or Chambéry, Aix-the-Baths;
with Borough-Saint-Maurice via Albertville, Moûtiers, Likes-the-Plagne, Landry;
with Modane via Chambéry, Saint-Jean-with-Maurienne;
with Saint-Gervais via Annecy, Cluses, Sallanches;
with Evian via Culoz, Bellegarde, Annemasse, Thonon-the-Baths;

TGV the Mediterranean since Paris-Lyon until:

Marseilles-Saint-Charles by LGV, via Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Valence-TGV, Avignon-TGV and Aix-en-Provence - TGV; services continue, by traditional way, until Toulon, Hyères via Toulon, Nice via Toulon and Cannes, and even until Vintimille (Italy) via Monaco;
Nimes by LGV then Montpellier by traditional way; certain services continue until Perpignan (always on traditional way) via Sète, Agde, Béziers and Narbonne;

Atlantic TGV since Paris-Montparnasse serves:

Turns (station of Saint-Pierre-of-Body) at high speed, via Massy-TGV and Vendôme-TGV; then on arranged traditional line:

the Futuroscope, Châtellerault, Poitiers, Ruffec, Angouleme, Libourne and Bordeaux;
La Rochelle, via Poitiers, Saint-Maixent-L' School, Niort, Surgères;
Toulouse, via Bordeaux, Agen and Montauban;
Hendaye and Irun, via Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz and Saint-Jean-with-Luz;
Tarbes, via Dax, Orthez, Heavy Pau and ;

Mans at high speed; then on arranged traditional line:

Rennes, via Laval and Glazed; some are prolonged until Saint Malo, Brest via Saint-Brieuc and Lannion, and until Quimper via Vannes and Lorient;
Nantes, via Sablé-sur-Sarthe and Angers; some are prolonged until the Croisic;

Of 2000 to 2004, certain Atlantic TGV were prolonged of Nantes to the Sands-D' Olonne on a not electrified line, tractor drawn by Diesel locos DC 72000

Northern TGV since Paris-North, serves

Lille (stations of Lille-Europe and Lille-Flandres); services continue towards Tourcoing via Cross-Wasquehal and Roubaix and towards Boulogne via Calais-Frethun and Calais-City;
Arras at high speed; then on traditional line:

Lens, Béthune, Hazebrouck and Dunkirk;
Valencian Douai and ;

LGV Is European since Paris-Is, serves:

Rheims (stations of Rheims and Champagne-Ardenne - TGV); some continue by traditional line towards Rethel, Charleville-Mézières and Sedan;
Bar-le-Duc via Châlons-in-Champagne and Vitry-le-François;
Metz, on LGV then on traditional line starting from Vandières; certain services continue by traditional line towards Thionville and Luxembourg;
Nancy, on LGV then on traditional line starting from Vandières; certain services continue by traditional line towards Épinal and Remiremont, Lunéville and the Saint-Dié-of-Vosges, or Sarrebourg, Saverne and Strasbourg;
Strasbourg, on LGV then on traditional line starting from Baudrecourt; certain services continue by traditional line towards Stuttgart and Munich (as from December 2007), or towards Colmar, Mulhouse, Basle and Zurich.

transverse Service roads:

borrowing LGV Interconnexion Is (circumventing Paris by the east and stopping at the stations of Roissy - Charles-of-Gaulle and Marne-the-Valley-Chessy):

Brussels - Perpignan via Lille, Lyon, Montpellier;
Brussels - Nice via Lille, Lyon, Marseilles;
Strasbourg - Lille Europe;
Brive - Lille Europe via Juvisy (for the service road of the airport of Orly), Orleans, Limoges (as from December 2007);

forwarding by Massy-TGV:

Marseilles - Nantes and Marseilles - Rennes, via Lyon - Share-God and Mans;
Nantes - Borough-Saint-Maurice during school vacations of winter;

forwarding by Massy - Palaiseau:

Marseilles - Lyon - Le Havre via Versailles-Building sites, Mantes-the-Pretty and right Rouen-Bank;

borrowing LGV Interconnexion Is and forwarding by Massy-TGV:

Lille - Hendaye and Lille - Toulouse via Saint-Pierre-of-Body, Poitiers, Angouleme and Bordeaux;
Brussels - Bordeaux via Lille, Saint-Pierre-of-Body, Poitiers and Angouleme;
Lille - Nantes and Lille - Rennes via Mans;
Strasbourg - Bordeaux;
Strasbourg - Nantes;
Strasbourg - Rennes;

other transverse service roads:

Marseilles - Toulouse, via Montpellier;
Lyon - Marseilles;
Metz - Nice, via Nancy, Dijon, Mâcon, Lyon-Share-God and Marseilles;
Strasbourg - Marseilles, via Mulhouse, Besancon, Lyon-Share-God;
Montpellier - Geneva via Lyon-Share-God;
Nice - Geneva via Lyon-Share-God;
Bordeaux - Dijon, via Toulouse, Montpellier and Lyon-Share-God

International service roads elsewhere in Europe

Eager to share the success of the French network, of the adjoining countries connected their network with this one. The TGV thus serves the Germany, the Belgium and the Netherlands (generally under the mark Thalys), the the United Kingdom under the mark Eurostar, but also the Suisse under the mark Lyria and the Italy under the mark Artésia. These service roads are ensured by the SNCF within the framework of international partnerships for which structures ad hoc were created in the forms of GEIE.

Thalys : France - Belgium - Netherlands - Germany

At the beginning of Paris-North Thalys serves:

Brussels-Midday;
Cologne via Liege, Aachen and Brussels-Midday;
Amsterdam via Brussels-Midday, Antwerp, Rotterdam, $the Hague, Schiphol;
Ostend, via Ghent, Bruges and Brussels-Midday;
the Walloon dorsal (Mons, Charleroi, Namur, Liege).

At the beginning of Brussels - Midday:

Roissy and Marne-the-Valley;
Marseilles and the Alps (Borough-Saint-Maurice) in seasonal service.

Alleo: TGV EAST and ICE France - Germany

at the beginning of Paris-Is:

Saarbrucken - Kaiserslautern - Mannheim and Frankfurt 3 per day and 5 per day starting from December 10th, 2007, out of oar ICE;
Karlsruhe - Stuttgart 3 per day and 4 per day whose one prolonged until Ulm, Augsburg and Munich starting from December 10th, 2007 rows about it TGV.

Eurostar : France - Belgium - Great Britain

Services borrowing the Channel tunnel and the lines new towards Paris and Brussels and in Great Britain the first part of the new line Folkestone - London since September 2003 and the second until London-Saint Pancras starting from the 14 novemvre 2007:

At the beginning of London - Waterloo until November 13rd, 2007 and of London-Saint Pancras starting from November 14th, 2007, serves (via Ashford):

Calais - Frethun;
Lille - Europe);
Northern Paris;
Brussels-Midday;
the Alps (Borough-Saint-Maurice and some times Grenoble) in seasonal service.
Avignon (a weekly return ticket in July - August)

Lyria : France - Swiss

Lyria is a joint venture of the SNCF and federal Railroads Swiss, which manages the service roads at the beginning of Paris Gare de Lyon towards:

Geneva via Mâcon-Loach - TGV and Bellegarde;
Bern via Dijon, Frasne, Pontarlier and Neuchâtel;
Lausanne, via Dijon, Informer, Frasne and Vallorbe;
Brig-Glis via Lausanne, Montreux, Eagle, Martigny, Sion and Sierre (Lyria of snows).

and since June 10th, 2007 at the beginning of Paris Station of the East:

Zurich via Basle and Strasbourg.

Artésia : France - Italy

Artesia is a joint venture of the SNCF and Trenitalia, who manages the service roads at the beginning of Paris Lyon and Paris-Bercy towards:

Bardonnechia, Oulx, Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, --> via Chambéry, Modane.

Morocco ordered lines of TGV which will link Tangier with Casablanca then Casablanca with Marrakech. Work will be completed in May 2013.

Forgotten areas

The TGV leaves for the moment with the variation the Basse-Normandie, and the Massif Central (Auvergne, the Limousin, and of the the Midday-Pyrenees), and it is one of the great reproaches which is made to him. The TGV does not circulate there what causes the anger of the areas concerned; indeed they consider that the TGV must be an engine of economic development, but, one makes it circulate only in areas already economically developed instead of serving backward region like the the Limousin. The most advanced projects currently do not relate to either these areas, even if some local government agencies and associations defend of the projects like LGV Massif Central, the Transversale the Alps Auvergne Atlantique, LGV of the Estuaries and LGV Normandy. Not to be connected to the TGV constitutes a brake with the economic development of an area. There is true a effect TGV on the attractivity of a city as from the moment when it is so much is not very gravitational. Example: Turns and Lille drew an important benefit from the arrival of the TGV, whereas these results are less obvious for Mâcon (" Mâcon-TGV").

Moreover, even when LGV exist, the stations of the medium-sized cities located on the traditional lines which they double often lose their connections “Broad outlines”. It is for example the case of Sens and Villefranche-sur-Saône following the opening of South-eastern LGV, or of Arles after the opening of LGV the Mediterranean.

This lapse of memory of the areas close to Paris (Normandy) or with weak density of population (Massif Central) is due to the conditions of economic profitability railway high speed: the construction of the infrastructures dedicated to the trains at high speed being very expensive, it is necessary to lay out of massive flows travellers on the courses to be able to make profitable the lines by their intensive use (more than 10 trains per hour on average in each direction between 6:00 and 22:00). Let us notice in the passing that the same problem of profitability arises for the highways.

Moreover, it is necessary to have a course without sufficiently long stop to profit fully from the positive effects railway high speed, or else the cost-benefit assessment high speed becomes contestable.

It should not either be forgotten that the construction of a line at railway high speed crossing a little populated area does not constitute in it even necessarily a good news in measurement or the TGV can constitute as much an avoidance or an impoverishment of the service roads in order to protect the profit of speed of the new line only one solution for opening-up. The TGV has the role first to bring closer the poles structuring to the French territory (Paris, Lille, Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseilles…) or Europeans (London, Brussels, Geneva, Amsterdam, Frankfurt…) and not to change the particular characteristics of each territory often inherited the past. By pushing the paradox until the end one could almost affirm that it is a tool of repolarization of national and European space around its poles of force.

The rise of the prices

The TGV constitutes for some a antiprogrès. Indeed, in addition to serving less stations and concentrating on large poles and thus to prevent the economic development of rural environments, the TGV involves an price increase on average of 30% on the lines which it replaces. Contrary to the German system, there does not exist generally any railway alternative in France to the TGV; what in a certain direction constitutes a progress since the TGV is then intended for everyone. The rise of the prices is then imposed to the users without alternatives for the latter. It is to the professionals that the TGV proves to be gravitational, then replacing very often the plane.

Exploitation

Maintenance

The maintenance of park TGV, for the regular maintenance actions, required the installation of workshops located near the stations termini. Thus the oars of the TGV Paris-South-Is were maintained with the workshops Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and Paris-Conflans, those of the Atlantic TGV to the workshops of Châtillon and that of the Northern TGV to the Ateliers of Landy to Saint-Denis. Since, with the appearance of the Duplex TGV (TGV on two levels) the park was redeployed and the Ateliers of Landy maintain the oars TGV-South-Is and the workshops of Paris Conflans of the South-eastern TGV, Réseau and Duplex.

The distribution of the park between the workshops was at January 1st, 2006 the following one:

Paris-South-Is (Villeneuve, Conflans): 65 South-eastern TGV, 14 TGV network, 3 TGV La Poste, 79 Duplex TGV;
Châtillon: 105 Atlantic TGV, 65 TGV Network; at least 2 Duplex TGV (August 1st, 2007)
Landy: 40 TGV network, 42 South-eastern TGV, 16 Thalys PBA/PBKA, 16 Eurostar.

since April 2006, a new workshop entered in service, the technicentre of Ourcq, to ensure the maintenance of the oars intended for the TGV Is (52 oars affected as from June 2007).
a new workshop is in the course of installation in Lyon for an opening envisaged in 2009 for the maintenance of all the Duplex TGV of the line Paris-Lyon (source: weekly magazine Life of the Rail).

Is France knew in the past an important rail traffic of goods (Houille and Fer in particular) which strongly decreased. The industrial facilities of the SNCF partly remained, thus an important maintenance workshop of the TGV, dedicated to the great periodic revisions, is with Bischheim, in the suburbs of Strasbourg. The TGV go there in noncommercial circulation (or “out of W”, for vacuum travellers, in the jargon railwayman).

The ways can be inspected at the block speed of 300 km/h the assistance of a named specific car Mélusine. Since 2006 a complete oar is assigned to this service, allowing a more complete range of measurements, as well as lodging on board personnel; it is about the oar tricourant Réseau n° 4530 famous Iris 320.

Activity

The TGV celebrated its first billion travellers transported since the inauguration of the first service in September 1981, the November 28th 2003. The second billion is awaited for 2010.

In 2004, the TGV transported 85 million travellers to France (this figure relates to only the national traffic, the international service roads being managed by specific companies). This traffic is in growth of 4%, that is to say 3 million additional travellers compared to the previous year. The turnover corresponding rises to 3 billion euros, in progression of 7,3%.

At the end of the year 2004, its market share (compared to the plane) is established in 68% on the Paris-Marseilles line, and in 66% on Paris-Bordeaux.

There are 1000 drivers including two women among: 17000 of the SNCF.

After 1 month of exploitation, the SNCF announces on July 9th, 2007 to have transported a million people on the TGV Is, that is to say: 33000 on average per day with 100 daily circulations.

The occupancy rates of the TGV East are very good (on average of 88% in second class and 75% in 1st class) but the rate of regularity of the TGV Is on average only of 86%. As comparison the regularity 2006 average of Eurostar was of 91,5% and 92% in the first half of 2007 (Eurostar press release).

*** including ICE as from 2007

The most serious accidents

On line at high speed

December 14th 1992, the TGV 920 Annecy-Paris, ensured by oar 56, runs off the line to 270 km/h with the passage in the station of Mâcon-Loach TGV (Saône-et-Loire); cause material: wheel locking of a Bogie in consequence of the failure of an electronics component; the faulty bogie ran off the line by crossing the Aiguillage S at the entry of the Gare; no casualty in the train, 25 people who awaited another TGV on the quay are slightly wounded by projections of ballast.
December 21st 1993, the TGV 7150 Valencian-Paris, ensured by oar 511, runs off the line to 300 km/h with height of Ablaincourt-Press (Somme); the motor coach of head and the first four cars run off the line but remain in the axis of the way; cause way: depression of the platform to the right of an old gallery dating from the First World War, not detected; on the 200 passengers, only one was slightly wounded.
June 5th 2000, the Eurostar 9047 Paris-London, ensured by oar 3101/2 pertaining to SNCB, runs off the line to 250 km/h close to the junction of Croisilles (Pas-de-Calais), near Arras; four bogies (out of 24) left the rails; on the 501 passengers, ten were slightly commotionnés; cause material: a rod of reaction of the driving bogie postpones motor coach of detached found head would be at the origin of the accident.

On traditional line

December 31st 1983, a bomb explodes in the TGV Marseilles-Paris with height of Silvering-L' Hermitage; two dead (attack allotted to Carlos).
September 28th 1988, the TGV 736 Grenoble-Paris runs up against against 105 km/h a exceptional transport road, transporting a Electric transformer of 100 tons, blocked on a Crossing level with Voiron (Isere); the DDE (Departmental management of the equipment) had not authorized the heavy load to be passed on this level crossing; the shock was very violent because of the mass of the Weight-heavy ; two dead (the driver of the TGV and a traveller), 25 slightly injureds among the travellers. The TGV transported 300 people. The oar 70, baptized “Melun” was destroyed, except for the motor coach: 23140, which is currently used as motor coach of concerning bicourant oars PSE.
January 4th 1991, following a failure of the brakes, oar 360, vacuum, was started at the deposit of Châtillon. The oar was directed on an unoccupied way and was embedded to 60 km/h in a loading ramp of cars of the station of Paris-Vaugirard. The motor coach: 24119 was destroyed and them cars 1 and 2 seriously damaged. There was no victim and the oar was rebuilt.
September 25th 1997, the TGV 7119 Paris-Dunkirk, ensured by oar 502, struck to 130 km/h a tar spraying machine of 70 tons immobilized on a level crossing with Bergues (Northern). There were 7 wounded. The motor coach: 28004 was erased.
October 31st 2001, the TGV 8515 Paris-Irun, ensured by oar 363, runs off the line with Saubusse (Landes) between Dax and Bayonne to 130 km/h; the 10 cars ran off the line and the back motor coach: 24125 lay down on the way; cause way: broken rail; on the 422 passengers, six were wounded slightly.
January 30th 2003, the TGV Dunkirk-Paris runs up against against 106 km/h a heavy truck blocked on the level crossing of Esquelbecq; large damage on the motor coach but only an axle ran off the line; no casualty among the travellers, the driver of the TGV is slightly wounded. However, of the efforts had been made since the first accident of this type to try to remove all the level crossings of the ways borrowed by the TGV. It is in particular the case for Atlantic TGV circulating on traditional line between Tours and Bordeaux via Poitiers and Angouleme.

See too

In simulation

In Microsoft Train Simulator, park TGV at entirely modelled summer.
In Trainz, only TGV PSE delivered orange (the delivered blue one is a reskin even reformation of the oar for the interior and the attachment by MegadetH) to summer modelled by Auran. The remainder of the park directs towards reskins TGV PSE except Duplex TGV which at summer modelled in beta release and in the course of remodelisation by MegadetH.

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