TGV

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The TGV (French: [teʒeve] ; train à grande vitesse, [tʁɛ̃ a ɡʁɑ̃d vitɛs] , 'high-speed train') is the generic name of the trainsets used for the intercity high-speed rail service run by France's national rail operator, SNCF Voyageurs. It is also a quasi-generic initialism for high-speed trains in French, even when not operated by SNCF Voyageurs. With commercial operating speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph) 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 champion national ('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...

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