High-speed train “shrinks” France

France is the third country after Japan and Italy to invest in and operate high-speed railways, making the TGV train a "national pride".

"Shrinking" France with high-speed trains France is the second country in Europe to invest in and operate high-speed railways, and like Japan and Italy, it comes from the need that the conventional railway network cannot meet the demand. According to Giao thong Newspaper, France researched and invested in high-speed railways in the context of the energy crisis in the 1970s, the strong development of highways and the increasingly accessible price segments of air routes. Meanwhile, the traditional railway system with a 150-year operating time has degraded, making rail transport no longer an option for travel needs.

TGV high-speed train in France (Photo: internet).

Faced with the need to restructure economic development space and improve the competitiveness of railways, the French Government decided to develop a high-speed railway line (Train à Grande Vitesse - TGV) on the overloaded Paris - Lyon corridor. In 1981, France put into operation the first TGV line connecting Paris and Lyon, with an operating speed of 260km/h, but the design and test speed reached a world record of 380km/h. The birth of TGV opened a new breakthrough development phase of the French railway industry, TGV "shrinks" France and even Europe within a radius of 3-4 hours of travel, connecting major cities in France. During the period 1990-2010, many domestic TGV lines were inaugurated. Among them is the 50km Eurostar line with the Channel Tunnel to England, the Thalys line connecting Belgium and the Netherlands, connecting France with Europe and England with moderate time, high safety level, good service quality. The French high-speed train (TGV) mainly focuses on passenger transport, only a few small, high-value items were previously organized for transport on specialized trains converted from the TGV Sud-Est passenger train (La Poste mail train). However, in 2015, it was stopped operating due to low demand. Within 10 years after the inauguration of the first TGV, the number of passengers has continuously increased sharply. According to the French National Railways Group (SNCF Group), it is estimated that the TGV system serves about 250,000 passengers per day, an average of 90 million people per year, and by the end of 2003, the TGV system had transported 1 billion passengers, and by 2010, it was 2 billion passengers. At the time of peak transport demand, TGV accounted for about 75% of passenger transport volume on routes managed by SNCF. The advantages that help TGV compete with air and road are travel time, diverse services, convenience, safety, and much cheaper fares than planes. At the same time, environmental friendliness is an important factor for the French people to choose and helps TGV have no rivals in distances under 1,000km, time under 3 hours.

According to the International Railway Union (UIC), France currently has 12 high-speed railway lines in operation, with a total length of 2,735km; all have a maximum operating speed of 300-320km/h. In the long-term planning, France plans to invest in an additional 1,242km, bringing the total number of high-speed railway kilometers to 3,977km.

In France, the investment and management of high-speed railways in France are all assigned to companies under the French Government. The sources of investment capital for high-speed railways are diverse, but government capital or government-owned companies still account for a large proportion, followed by the regional governments where the line passes through. For example, the Rhin - Rhône line (eastern branch, phase 1), government capital and government-owned companies account for more than 60%; capital from the governments of the Franche-Comté, Alsace, and Burgundy regions accounts for a total of more than 28%; in addition, there are other sources... After the stages of restructuring and merger, from January 2015 to present, the task of building, owning, managing and organizing the operation of French railways has been undertaken by SNCF to ensure optimal use of the national railway network, safety, service quality and cost control under established conditions. Thereby ensuring fair competition, without discrimination between railway operators. Self-research, technology export As a country with original technology, France has developed and achieved many achievements in investing in high-speed railways. In 2007, France broke the world record for the test speed of an express train at 574.8 km/h. To this day, this is still the world record for rail train technology. TGV technology has been exported and transferred to many European countries, Morocco and Korea. For the French, TGV is a "national pride".

Map of high-speed rail network in France.

France has a fairly flat terrain, trains mainly run on embankments, and the transportation demand is not large because there are no densely populated corridors. Therefore, French trains tend to increase comfort, improve train speed, and the volume of construction is small, so there is no need to research and improve axle load reduction, leading to the use of centralized power, which allows for reduced maintenance costs and reduced noise for passengers. Due to favorable terrain conditions, allowing the use of large radius curves, it is possible to use shared bogies to increase stiffness and increase train speed. French technology is used for shared passenger and freight runs; shared high-speed trains with conventional trains. However, France is also gradually shifting to operating high-speed passenger trains separately. To achieve a speed of 320km/h, TGV must use special rails and a series of improvements that allow the train to run at high speeds based on the following principles: high-power motors, low center of gravity of the train, favorable aerodynamic shape, sturdy connection points, accurate support signals for the train driver when it is impossible to observe both sides when the train is running at high speed... The rails are specially designed to withstand high speeds, minimize vibration and noise, ensuring safety and comfort for passengers. Continuous improvements in technology and design have helped TGV trains maintain their leading position in high-speed rail train manufacturing countries, meeting the increasing demands of passengers for speed and comfort.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tau-toc-do-cao-thu-nho-nuoc-phap-192241102105301266.htm