INTRODUCTION TO THE TGV

Some Basic TGV Background

If you're not too familiar with the TGV, this is a good place to start. The fundamentals, with a brief history.

Early TGV History

The development of the TGV, prior to 1981.

The TGV Spotter's Guide

A catalog of the different generations of TGV trainsets, with pictures and key specifications.

More Detail on...

TGV Réseau [Images]
TGV Eurostar [Images]
TGV Duplex [Images]
TGV Thalys [Images]
Potential American TGVs

"Under the Hood" of a TGV

A tour of the inside of a TGV Atlantique power unit.

TGV LINES

TGV System Map

Find out where everything is, along with key facts and figures on all TGV lines. (There is also more info on SNCF's server).

How TGV Lines are Built

How the construction of LGVs (Lignes à Grande Vitesse) proceeds, with pictures.

The TGV Signalling System

A description of the TVM cab signal and how it works, in simple terms.

TGV Nord-Europe

Facts and figures about the TGV line to northern France, along with some information about the TGV Réseau trainsets, which were introduced at the time of its opening.

THE WORLD SPEED RECORD

A series of record runs culminating in the world record, set on 18 May 1990 at 515.3 km/h (320.3 mph) by a modified TGV Atlantique. All this information comes from a special issue of La Vie du Rail (see bibliography).

The Record Runs: Introduction
Preparation of the Track
Preparation of TGV Trainset 325
Chronology of the Record Runs

Recent TGV Research and Development

A general overview of the research efforts going towards new generations of TGV trainsets. This material, culled from various issues of La Vie du Rail, does not get too technical, but gives a good general survey of French high speed rail R&D.

SNCF Direction de la Recherche

SNCF's (French National Railways) research information. Short summaries of some current projects in high speed rail, in French. Includes a short blurb on the TGV Fret, a convertible cargo train.

OTHER TGV RELATED RESOURCES

TGV Images

A small photo gallery is available right here in the TGV pages. Much more can be found in the Mercurio Picture Gallery. SNCF also has its own picture gallery with some good TGV images.

Railfanning the TGV System

A trip suggestion to discover the TGV not only with a ride, but by standing at trackside while trains zoom by at full speed.

TGV Models

A growing list of TGV models available in HO and N scale.

Schedules

Links to various sources of TGV schedules; eclectic, but fairly complete.

SNCF

The French National Railways. Lots of information on station layouts, and a real-time train locator for the Atlantique line. Full schedules, according to them, are coming soon. Most of this site is in French.

Altavista: TGV

Web search using the Altavista engine; this brings up a large and growing number of URLs for schedules, miscellaneous information, images, etc... Very chaotic, but you can easily modify the query to suit more specific needs.

Encyclopedia References

Articles from the Encyclopedia Britannica, concerning the TGV. This material, if not very detailed, provides some useful context for the other documents in these pages.

HIGH SPEED TRAINS AROUND THE WORLD

A large collection of links to high speed train resources concerning trains other than the TGV. Information on the ICE, the AVE, the ETR 500, and many other newer concepts including Maglev.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND CREDITS

You are welcome to contact me. I would like your feedback on what you like and don't like about these pages. Questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, links, etc... But please, do NOT ask me questions about planning your trip. I am not a travel agent, and this page is just a hobby of mine. I have no commercial affiliation with anyone whatsoever.