LGV Sud-Est

The LGV Sud-Est is a high-speed rail line, which links Paris' and Lyon's suburbs, in France. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin (Yonne) and Sathonay (Rhône) on 22 September 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.

This line, subsequently extended southwards by the LGV Rhône-Alpes and LGV Méditerranée and northwards by the LGV Interconnexion Est, has led to the speeding up of journey times:

• between Paris and the southeast quarter of France (and by extension towards Switzerland and Italy)
• between the southeast and the north and west of France (and by extension towards Britain and Belgium)

Route

The line crosses six départements, from north to south:

• Seine-et-Marne
• Yonne
• Côte-d'Or
• Saône-et-Loire
• Ain
• Rhône

The TGV system's compatibility with the regular rail network avoided the need for new infrastructure construction to reach existing train stations in the dense urban areas of Paris and Lyon.

The distance from Paris (Gare de Lyon) to Lyon (Part-Dieu) is 425 km. The LGV route is 409 km long; by avoiding built-up areas between Paris and Lyon (particularly Dijon) this enables a route 87 km shorter than the regular line (512 km). There are no tunnels.

The line includes various connectors to the regular rail network:

• at Pasilly-Aisy towards Dijon, and further through the Jura mountains to Vallorbe/Lausanne or Neuchâtel/Zürich
• at Mâcon-Pont-de-Veyle......
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