Rail transport in France

Rail transport in France is mostly operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. France has the second largest European railway network, with a total of 29,901 kilometers of railway

Since 1981, the SNCF has operated the TGV service, a high-speed rail network which has been consistently expanded in subsequent years.

France is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for France is 87.

History

The history of rail transport in France dates from the first French railway in 1832.

Exploitation

Since of 1842, French railway is highly polarized by Paris.

Traffic is concentrated on the main lines: 78% of activity is done on 30% of the network (8,900km) when the 46% smaller lines (13,600km) only drive 6% of the traffic.

Freight transport

Freight transport have declined since the early 1980s. Today the network is predominantly passenger centric.

Since January 1, 2007, the freight market is open to conform to European Union agreements (EU Directive 91/440). New...
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