1 million...passengers in just 1 month on the new TGV-Est line (LGV-Est)!

"On Monday [9 July] we’ll pass the million passenger mark, it’s an extraordinary success!" That was the proud announcement of the chairman of the French State Railways (SNCF), Anne-Marie Idrac, standing beside M. Dominique Bussereau, French Transport Minister, on 6 July. Indeed, 1.5 million tickets have already been sold and the service has achieved an almost 100% capacity.

Photo: Réseau ferré de France

1 million…passengers in just 1 month on the new TGV-Est line (LGV-Est)!

The TGV Est is both ultra modern and extremely comfortable.

The extra comfort comes from Christian Lacroix’s innovative stylish redesign of the carriages, while its speed – it holds the world commercial speed record (200 mph) with the Mediterranean high-speed line – makes it one of today’s top means of transport.

With the opening of the LGV Est on 10 June 2007, there are now over 130 new direct services and the line will eventually link four European countries: France, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Paris thus has a high-speed rail link (200 mph) to over 20 cities in Eastern France and a dozen international destinations. Journey times have been cut by a third and sometimes halved. It also confirms Strasbourg’s position as a major European centre.

This new line is part of the broader Main Line for Europe project to link Paris with Budapest by 2015.

Rail travel is also speeding up elsewhere in Europe. The final section of the Eurostar high-speed line in the UK opens on 14 November 2007. London, St Pancras International, will be 2 hrs 15 mins from Paris.

Last updated: 13.07.2007