Railways in

France

Three high speed rail lines converge in a huge triangular junction, the Triangle des Angles, near Avignon.
Two sides of the triangle cross the river Rhone on viaducts to converge on the right bank.
A TGV Duplex train is seen on the more southerly of the two viaducts.

Tourist and minor railways in France are covered in detail in a separate group of pages

Mainland France

The first public railway in France was officially opened on 1st October, 1828, a year after it had been brought into use and just three years after the opening of the pioneering Stockton & Darlington Railway in the United Kingdom. The French line ran from Saint-Étienne to Andrézieux, a distance of some 18km. It was built to the standard (1435mm) gauge that had by then become established in the United Kingdom.

The first railway in the French capital ran from the Place de l’Europe (near the present Saint-Lazare station) to Le Pecq, a few km short of its eventual destination at Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

The Paris Métro also runs on the right; this is believed to be because the first lines, opened at the beginning of the 20th century, were closely based on electric tram technology and operation. Paris trams of course had to run on the right when operating in the streets.

Although the early railways were for the most part developed by private companies, there was close State regulation which meant that there was little of the unnecessary duplication of lines that arose in other countries. By the 1870s, most of the main lines had been merged into just five independent companies: Est, Nord, PLM, PO, and Ouest, organised according to the regions that they served. A further group of lines was owned and operated by the State. The Ouest company was taken over by the State in 1909. This situation continued until 1938, when all the remaining companies merged with the State system to form SNCF.

France has created an extensive network of high speed lines (LGV, lignes à grande vitesse), which continues to expand.

Apart from the main line railways, there were also a many minor railways and tramways, built to standard or metre gauge. Some of these lines survive as tourist operations.

Like England and unlike many other European countries, most French cities lost their urban tramways in the latter part of the 20th Century, the sole exception being a single line in Marseille. However, many cities now have new tram and metro systems, and others are projected or in the course of being built.

Main Line Railways

SNCF national classical and high speed passenger operator, including various international services
SNCF Connect booking service for TGV, Intercités, and regional trains operated by SNCF and Transdev
Eurostar international high speed passenger operator to destinations in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and United Kingdom
Ouigo low cost domestic High Speed Train services
Velvet planned independent operator of High Speed Train services (No website located at present)
Renfe Spanish national operator of High Speed Train services from Lyon and Marseille to destinations in Spain
TGV Lyria high speed trains to destinations in Switzerland
European Sleeper operator (from 2026) of international sleeping services to Belgium and Germany.
Léman Express cross-border regional and commuter services in the Geneva area and neighbouring parts of France (Site in French)
SWEG German regional operator with cross-border services to Strasbourg
Transdev operator of passenger services on the Carhaix - Guingamp - Paimpol line in Brittany
Vlexx German regional passenger offering a seasonal cross-border service to Wissembourg (Site in German)
Captrain France freight operator (Site in French)
Colas Rail freight operator, primarily concerned with infrastructure construction and maintenance work
DB Cargo France freight operator
ETF freight operator, primarily concerned with infrastructure construction and maintenance work
Europorte freight operator
Ferovergne freight operator (Site in French)
Hexafret freight operator
Lineas freight operator
Medway freight operator
Naviland Cargo freight operator
RDT13 local freight operator (Site in French)
RegioRail local freight operator
SEM Ferval local freight operator on the metre gauge line between Buzançais and Argy (No website located at present)
TPCF Fret local freight operator on the line between Rivesaltes and St Martin Lys (No website located at present)

Tourist and minor railways

See separate index

Metros, Trams and Urban Funiculars