TGV

French electrically powered train that provides the world's fastest rail service. Since it began operating in 1981, it has carried more than 100 million passengers between Paris and Lyon, at average speeds of 214 kph/133 mph. In 1990, a TGV broke the world speed record, reaching a speed of 515.3 kph/320.2 mph (about half that of a passenger jet aircraft) on a stretch of line near Tours.

In 1990 a second service, the Atlantique, was launched, running from Paris to Le Mans and Tours. A third linking Paris with the Channel Tunnel, Brussels, and Cologne opened in 1993. The TGV network now extends to the Mediterranean, Switzerland, and Britanny. A new route is planned eastwards to Strasbourg, opening in 2006.

In its regular service, the TGV covers the 425 km/264 mi distance between Paris and Lyon in two hours.