France - General Information

Country Name

France (France)

National Railway System

National Railway Operator

SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), wholly owned by the French state. Since 1 January 2020 SNCF has been organised into the following subsidiaries:

• SNCF Voyageurs (domestic passenger services)
• SNCF Réseau (infrastructure, including SNCF Gares & Connexions, responsible for stations)
• Rail Logistics Europe (freight, including Fret SNCF and Captrain)
• Geodis (logistics; 98.4% owned by SNCF)
• Keolis (French and international urban transport; 70% owned by SNCF).

Other Operators

• Eurostar Group (55.75% owned by SNCF Voyageurs, 18.5% by SNCB/NMBS and the rest by other investors) is the holding company for two subsidiaries:
  • Eurostar International Ltd (EIL), which operates the original Eurostar cross-channel services to London;
  • THI Factory, which operates the former Thalys services between France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, now also branded as Eurostar.
    The two subsidiaries are presented to the public as the one company, Eurostar.

• RENFE set up an office in Lyon (possibly under the name of Renfe Proyectos Internacionales), which gained in early June 2023 the right to operate trains to Lyon and Marseille; these are expected to start operation imminently.

Other international services are operated jointly with neighbouring administrations using various concocted trading names such as

• TGV Lyria (Switzerland)
• ICE/TGV services between Stuttgart/Frankfurt and Paris are run jointly by DB and SNCF, using the name Alleo;. however, that is not a marketing name, and services are marketed in the partners' own names.
• Trenitalia France operates between Paris, Lyon and Milano.

Various open-access freight operators (particularly ECR, a DB Cargo subsidiary) are starting to appear despite French reluctance to embrace the spirit of the relevant European legislation. Captrain France (formerly VFLI) is an SNCF subsidiary with more flexibility of staff deployment, which contracts for the operation of certain secondary lines as well as some open access operation.

Languages

French. Breton is spoken in Brittany, but the visitor is likely to be aware of this only in the form of signs as most people speak French. There is limited use of Basque in the Pyrenees and German in Alsace.

Currency

Euro

UIC code

• SNCF: numeric 87 alpha F.
• Eurotunnel: numeric 69. This is used only for accounting purposes and does not appear on rolling stock.

Timetable

Only some of this material is available in languages other than French

Journey Planner

SNCF website

Actual Train Times

Real time train information is no longer available

Downloadable Timetable

• InOui (formerly TGV) (long distance high speed services): no downloadable timetable material is published by SNCF - you will need to rely on journey planners, the private LGV timetable (see below) or the printed European Rail Timetable
• OuiGo (long distance low-fare high speed services): no downloadable timetable material is published by SNCF nor do these trains feature in SNCF journey planners - go to the OuiGo website or use the private LGV timetable (see directly below)
• A privately-produced set of timetables for all French LGVs is here. The tables include all high-speed trains using the network: Eurostar (cross-Channel and former Thalys), Frecciarossa, AVE and OuiGo services as well as InOui/TGV and TERGV trains.
• Intercités (long distance 'classic' services): there appears to be no downloadable timetable material on the SNCF website anymore, so the SNCF journey planner or European Rail Timetable are the best options
• Transilien (Île de France, including Paris): Fiches horaires
• TER (local services): There is no central site with timetables available; timetable fiches are available on the regional TER sites so you need to know the Région in which the line you are looking for is located. To assist, a map of the Régions showing major towns is here:
  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
  • Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
  • Bretagne
  • Centre-Val de Loire
  • Grand Est
  • Hauts-de-France
  • Normandie
  • Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  • Occitanie
  • Pays de la Loire
  • Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
• Corsica: Horaires

Printed Timetable

None in book form. Individual route leaflets (fiches) are available for local services in some Régions (where available, they mirror those available as downloads - see above). Otherwise, use the European Rail Timetable.

Real Time Train Tracker

There appears to now be only a single website showing real-time train positions:

• Carto.graou provides real time information on train movements

Engineering, Strike (grève) and Current Performance Information

Infolignes website or CFC (Corsica). Espacetrain will give current references in the French media.

Note that it is the practice to close sections of line for electrification or other reconstruction work for periods of several months: potential travellers should check carefully for such temporary closures

Bus Information

Bus services tend to be sparse outside large centres of population. Most are run by the Région or Département. See the TER web pages or fiches.

Maps

Printed Maps

• European Railway Atlas (All-Europe Edition) by M.G. Ball.
• European Railway Atlas (Regional Atlas Series, Book 1: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) by M.G. Ball.
• Eisenbahnatlas Frankreich Band 1: Nord by Schweers + Wall, with key in French, German, English and Italian) shows railways in northern half of France at 1:300.000 scale.
• Nouvelle Géographie Ferroviaire de la France: Tome 2: L'Organisation Régionale du Trafic by Gérard Blier (La Vie du Rail, 1993) (ISBN 2-902808-43-7) contains a large number of maps and track layout diagrams.

Web-based Maps

• SNCF Réseau system maps are available from their website. L'Atlas du réseau ferré français is the latest zoomable map of the network, distinguishing passenger lines from freight-only lines. There is also a downloadable version.
• A SNCF website 2020 map also showing freight lines with line and timetable numbers
• Maps and Plans - France

Privately produced maps/plans include:

• OpenRailwayMap for France - a "work in progress"
• Carto.Metro provides useful track layout plans of various urban areas.
• Wikipedia's Liste des lignes de chemin de fer de France contains two system maps, as well as much useful information, line by line.
• Ferrocarta's Railway Map of France - by area
• Thorsten Büker's Map of France - a useful single sheet overview last updated January 2023 also enlargements for Paris September 2022 Lyon May 2020 Lille January 2023

Ticketing

SNCF does not offer any type of network ticket (apart from Interrail). However, a range of network tickets is available in the Paris (RATP) area (see Navigo monthly and weekly travel passes and also in some Régions, including - in some cases - cross-border travel into Luxembourg and Germany.

Tickets purchased in France need to be validated before boarding the train by inserting them in a yellow machine (composteur) at the platform entrance. This stamps them with the station name, date and time.

Reservations are obligatory for travel on InOui (formerly TGV), OuiGo, iDTGV, Thalys, ICE and Eurostar services, and on certain trains within the much reduced Intercités brand. However, subject to space being available, it is possible to change reservations up to the time of departure (or check-in time for Eurostar). If travel plans are not definite, it is best to reserve on a later train and change this for an earlier one if desired. Passengers without a reservation on trains for which reservation is obligatory (or on the wrong train) have to pay a penalty charge. It is possible to make reservations up to the time of departure (or check-in), including from intermediate stations, because reserved seats are not labelled; "vacant" seats may be claimed by passengers joining the train later in the journey. On some "high speed" services - particularly Thalys, ICE, Izy, OuiGo, iDTGV and Eurostar - fares are specific and not interavailable with tickets for other trains. Izy, OuiGo and iDTGV are only bookable on the internet.

Passengers boarding a train without a ticket or a valid reservation (when one is required) should advise the conductor immediately and a modest charge will be levied for purchasing a ticket on the train. Waiting until the conductor comes round the train to check tickets will result in a much higher penalty charge being payable. If a passenger has purchased a ticket in advance on line for later collection from a ticket machine and is unable either to print the ticket from the machine or obtain it from a booking office, they must purchase a ticket immediately on boarding the train and reclaim the cost later. Refusal to pay on the grounds that a ticket has already been paid for is not permitted, even if supported by evidence that the ticket machine is out of order, and could render the passenger liable to prosecution.

A large number of local services and connections to LGV stations are operated by buses. Rail tickets are valid on bus services shown in the three regional railway timetables unless there is a note to the contrary.

Regional express (RER) suburban services in the Paris area are operated jointly by SNCF and RATP. Tickets such as InterRail and FIP are not valid on RER lines owned by RATP, but can be used on RATP trains working over SNCF lines. Holders of such tickets can obtain from booking offices free of charge a special pass (contremarque) to open the automatic gates at platform entrances.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Authority

Since the reorganization of 1 January 2015 infrastructure is owned and managed by SNCF Réseau, a subsidiary of SNCF Groupe, which absorbed Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) on that date.

Network Statement

The Network. An alternative link to the 2022 Network Statement is here.

Gauge

Standard. The following SNCF lines are metre gauge: Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains to La Tour-de-Carol-Enveitg, St Gervais-les-Bains-le-Fayet to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (which the Région are proposing should be taken into their control), and Salbris to Valençay.

Electrification

Main lines from Paris to Le Mans, Hendaye, Toulouse, Marseille and Modane, together with many associated routes are 1500V dc. Other standard gauge lines are 25kV 50Hz. All high speed lines (LGV - Lignes à Grande Vitesse) are 25kV 50Hz, except for the Contournement LGV de Tours (Montlouis to Monts Indre et Loire) which can be used by conventional trains and is, therefore, 1500V dc. Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains to La Tour-de-Carol-Enveitg is 850 volts dc third rail and St Gervais-les-Bains-le-Fayet to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is 750 volts dc third rail. All 750 volts dc third rail operation has been eliminated from the SNCF Paris suburban network.

Rule of the road

Left, except in Alsace and Lorraine, which were part of Germany between 1871 and 1918, where right hand running is the rule and German-style signalling can still be found. The change from left to right hand running is made on the flat at Mulhouse, but at all other locations there are flyovers. These are west of Molsheim, west of Sarrebourg, north of Ars-sur-Moselle, west of Rombas-Clouange, west of Fontoy, and at the eastern exits from LGV Est at Vendenheim near Strasbourg and at the earlier exit at Baudrecourt. The arrangements at Ars-sur-Moselle, near Metz, are particularly complicated as the railway is quadruple track. Reversible signalling is extensively used. Between Annemasse and Geneve [SBB] is also right hand running to reduce conflicts at La-Praille [SBB] and Annemasse.

On the high speed line between Figueres-Vilafant and Perpignan, right-hand running applies for about 10km north of the Perthus tunnel whereupon the northbound line flies over the southbound line to change to left-hand running.

Distances

The RAIL21 - Le réseau ferré français gives schematic maps with distances for each station.

Wikipedia's Liste des lignes de chemin de fer de France contains much useful information, line by line. Note specially that for each line is a box at the right hand side of the page: follow the link "Schéma de la ligne" at the foot of the box to reveal a schematic plan of the line, including distances of stations and junctions (if the word "afficher" also appears, a schematic plan is not yet available). A full list of all the lines for which schematic plans are available is here.

Other railways

• Tramway du Mont Blanc (Le Fayet - Nid d'Aigle; 12.4 km, metre gauge, electrified 11kV 50Hz, rack-worked, operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc)
• Montenvers Mer de Glace (Chamonix - Montenvers; 5 km, metre gauge, electrified 11kV 50Hz, rack-worked, operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc)
• Chemin de fer de la Corse (metre gauge; from January 2012 operated by a local authority-controlled company, in which SNCF has a minority holding)
• Chemins de fer de Provence (Nice - Digne; metre gauge; operated by Veolia - see below)

Closed between La Mure and Digne due to a tunnel collapse on 20 February 2019.

• Le Petit Train de la Rhune (St Ignace - La Rhune; metre gauge, rack-worked, electrified 3000V 50Hz three-phase; the only surviving line of the Voies Ferrées Départmentales du Midi; now operated by Etablissement Public des Stations d´altitude (EPSA))
• Captrain (formerly VFLI) own and operate the remaining lines of the former Houillères du Bassin de Lorraine network of standard gauge freight lines in the Béning area; although the last coal mine closed in 2004 there are still extensive lines serving other industries in the area such as the petrochemical site at Carling No passenger operations
• RDT13 (Régie Départmentale des Transports des Bouches-du-Rhône) (several standard gauge freight lines near Arles and Tarascon, as well as the short remaining section of the CF de l'Hérault; owned by La Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence) No passenger operations
• various port authorities' standard gauge freight lines No passenger operations

Eurotunnel SA, in partnership with UK company Eurotunnel plc, has a concession to operate the Channel Tunnel between Calais and Folkestone.

Tourist lines

Two useful lists of tourist lines are provided by the Union des Exploitants de Chemins de Fer Touristiques et de Musées (a grouping of preserved and tourist lines) (UNECTO) and by the magazine Voie Etroite. Similar information is often published in spring issues of French railway magazines. Many lines operate quite infrequently, usually at weekends during the summer season. A useful British website is Sinfin

A list of tourist lines incorporating links to their websites is available on Wikipedia.

Rail cycling is possible on a number of lines - see the Vélos-rail de France website. These lines are also shown - as Cyclorail, Cyclo-draisine or Vélorail - in the UNECTO list.

Metro

Marseille, Paris. Metro systems at Lille, Lyon, Paris-Orly, Rennes and Toulouse feature rubber tyred VAL systems. Either the UrbanRail or the carto.metro website is probably the best starting point - the former with schematic plans, the latter with track plans. itransports.fr has zoomable geographical maps showing all public transport stations and stops in and around various towns.

Trams/LRT-Systems

French tram systems are either of recent construction or extensively modernised. Lyon T3 tram route from Part-Dieu and its Rhônexpress eastward extension to Aéroport Saint Exupéry use part of the trackbed of the former Chemin de Fer de l'Est Lyonnais. Part of the Valenciennes system is over the trackbed of the former Chemin de Fer d'Anzin. Clermont Ferrand and Nancy had one central rail TVR guided rubber tyred systems, rather than "steel-wheel on steel-rail" tramways, with that in Nancy closing on 12 March 2023 to be converted to conventional trolleybuses routes, with Caen closing on 31 December 2017 and replaced by a "real" tramway in July 2019.

Either the UrbanRail or the carto.metro website is probably the best starting point - the former with schematic plans, the latter with track plans - for most or all tram systems in France, supplemented by Trams in France which provides useful comprehensive information until its last up-date in 2014. itransports.fr has zoomable geographical maps showing all public transport stations and stops, including trams, funiculars, etc., and local bus facilities in and around various towns.

See also France - Tram services over obscure routes

Recent and future changes

The French Railways Society (formerly The SNCF Society) provides a useful round-up (in English) of French news each month.

Line closures

Historical and General Background

A significant number of local passenger services, mainly in rural areas, were withdrawn during the late 1930s and again in the 1980s. Since then, local authorities were drawn into the prime role in planning and funding local transport and most (but not all) are keen to promote railways. The exception, alas, is lines crossing local authority boundaries and where extensive deferred track maintenance has been in force (some such services have ceased to be inter-regional with the subsequent introduction of the "super-Régions"). A committee to recommend a policy for the loss making Trains d'Equilibre du Territoire (TET) (mainly Intercité and overnight trains) duly reported - subsequently followed by the abandonment of most overnight routes and the transfer of Intercité daytime routes to sponsorship by the "super-Régions" (alongside their existing TER services) - for details (in French) see January 2017 statement by the transport minister, which contains maps of routes involved.

On 26 February 2018, following publication of two reports it had commissioned, the Macron government announced major reforms of the French rail industry, particularly to tackle to burgeoning capital debt of SNCF Réseau and the escalating cost of supporting SNCF (now 22% more per year than a decade previously). The inevitable suggestion of the Spinetta report was that up to 9000 km of secondary lines should be closed (being used by only 2% of passenger journeys). The government's response was that such closures would not be centrally driven but that the future of such lines and services would be for the "super-Régions" to decide.

Services which have been withdrawn permanently (most recent closures at top) or for which firm closure dates have been declared

The following lines are the most recent permanent closures:

• Lille - Comines: Official date 14 December 2019 but last train ran 4 December owing to strikes.
• Folligny: Curve towards Coutances (December 2018): All trains via Coutances now run to and from Granville via the north to west curve, opened in July 2013, avoiding Folligny.
• Kalhausen - Sarre-Union (22 December 2018)
• St-Claude - Oyonnax (December 2017)
• Monts (near Tours) exit from LGV Atlantique (July 2017).
• Hayange (Bif. de Florange) - Uckange (Bif. d'Uckange) (December 2016; remaining services from Longuyon line diverted to Thionville)
• Baudrecourt exit from LGV Est (July 2016)
• Valenton - Villeneuve-St.Georges (Lille - Brive-la-Gaillarde TGVs last ran May 2016)
• Laqueuille - Le Mont-Dore (last train November 2015)
• Verdun - St-Hilaire-au-Temple [ - Châlons-en-Champagne] (December 2013)
• Gannat - St.Germain-des-Fossés (December 2012) (Railcoop intend to reopen this section in summer 2024 as part of a proposed Lyon - Limoges - Bordeaux service if they have enough funding in place. If a reopening date is confirmed, this entry will be moved to Sections which ...do have some firm reopening date, below)
• Erquelinnes [BE] - Jeumont [FR] (local service ceased September 2012, but through services resumed in December 2018, running non-stop between Charleroi Sud and Maubeuge)
• Bordeaux Ravezies (August 2012, for extension of tram system; all trains on the Ligne du Médoc diverted via the Raccordement Bonnaous-Beyreman avoiding line)
• Raccordement de Vergigny (through TGV services between Melun and Marseille) (apparently by July 2012)

In the "tourist/heritage" sector:

• Le Train Touristique de l'Auxois (ACTA) (Les Laumes - Epoisses; 27 km) closed after the 2013 season (see Association du Chemin de Fer Touristique de l'Auxois (page 4)).
• Le Train Touristique des Monts du Lyonnais (CFTB) (Sain-Bel - Saint Foy l'Argentière; 17km) closed after the 2012 season because of track renewal costs demanded by SNCF Réseau

Services which have been or are to be "suspended" but with no sign of reopening (most recent "suspensions" at top)

• St André les Alpes - Digne les Bains (Chemin de fer de Provence) following a tunnel collapse on 29 February 2019, bus substitution over this section.
• Morlaix - Roscoff (track washout on 3 June 2018; remedial work on a line already in poor condition with infrequent service must be very unlikely)
• Abbeville - Eu [- Le Tréport] (27 May 2018; notionally temporary - some funding for relaying work was agreed but cost increases have deferred any reopening for several years, if at all)
• St.Yrieix-la-Perche - Pompadour - Objat (27 February 2018; unknown duration - landslip between Pompadour and Objat; although the whole section Nexon - Brive had been considered "at risk", Nexon - St Yrieix was renewed in two stages during 2020 and 2023, reopening on 9 February 2024, and Objat to Brive was also to be renewed in 2023)
• Rodez - Sévérac-le-Château (December 2017; notionally temporary pending relaying work for which no financing is in place, although Occitanie Région has stated its intention to reopen the line)
• [Nancy - ] Pont-St.Vincent - Mirecourt - Vittel [- Merrey] (December 2016; notionally temporary pending relaying work, although Grand Est Région are contributing to renewal works on the Pont St.Vincent - Mirecourt section which should result in resumption of passenger service over that section. A sparse service between Culmont-Chalindrey, Merrey and Vittel, including through TER trains to and from Paris Est, reintroduced trains to the southern end of the line on summer Fridays and Sundays from April 2019.)
• La Ferté Milon - Fismes (April 2016)
• Thionville - Bouzonville (April 2016 - although notionally replaced by bus temporarily, there has been no restoration of train service, which can only be presumed to have been definitively withdrawn)
• Volvic - Laqueuille (November 2015)
• Boën-sur-Lignon - Thiers (November 2015; unlike Montbrison - Boën-sur-Lignon there is no sign of local government financial support for reopening)
• Ascq - Orchies (June 2015; notionally temporary pending work for which no financing is in place)
• Laqueuille - Eygurande-Merlines - Ussel (July 2014)

In the "tourist/heritage" sector:

• Chemins de Fer du Centre-Bretagne (CFCB) operations from Loudéac, over an SNCF freight line to Saint-Brieuc which currently sees neither traffic nor maintenance, were suspended from spring 2017 having last operated in October 2016. However in 2021 they are operating a service on a separate section of this former through line to Auray, between Pontivy and Lambel-Camors; see Other developments - Implemented below.

Services which have been or are to be "suspended" but do have some firm reopening date (earliest reopenings at top):

The following lines are (or are to be) temporarily closed but with good expectations of reopening:

• The ligne de Cévennes is closed through the Gorges d'Allier following a rockfall at Monistrol-d'Allier on 15 December 2023. It is anticipated that the line will be closed until 25 May 2024 while the cliff face is stabilised and secured before the line is cleared and repaired. A substitute bus service has been introduced between Langeac and Langogne, with connections to the intermediate stations at Chapeauroux, Alleyras and Monistrol-d'Allier by pre-booked taxi.
• The Maurienne Valley line from Chambéry to Modane was closed by a landslide at La Praz cliff, on 27 August 2023, stopping traffic through the Frejus Tunnel from Lyon to Turin. Work to clear the rubble, inspect and assess the damage before effecting repairs is now expected to take until the end of 2024. Meanwhile SNCF Voyageurs is to introduce a bespoke daily return service from the 10 January 2024, operating a TGV from Paris and Lyon to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. From here passengers will be transferred by coach to Oulx on the Italian side, and reboard a train to Turin and Milan.
• Montréjeau - Luchon for track renewal which should have been completed by December 2020, but extra bridge strengthening works have extended closure until December 2024.
• Thionville - Apach (weekday commuter services were replaced by bus in December 2013, but a weekend Trier Hbf - Apach - Thionville - Metz service has continued to run. Reinstatement of a full seven-day service is expected in December 2024).
• Toulouse Tramway - Line T2 closed for 3 years from 5 June 2023 for construction of a new metro station and line upgrades.
• Laon - Hirson closed 11 December 2023 for three years for complete rebuilding.
• Alès - Bessèges (closed from July 2012; Occitanie région has announced its intention of financing track renewal with reopening, originally targeted for 2024, now expected in 2028)
• Saillat-Chassenon - Angoulême (closed from 13 March 2018, condition of track). The line between Saillat and Limoges was renewed over four months in late 2023 and reconstruction of Angoulême - Saillat is expected to start in 2027 with reopening throughout in 2030.
• Limoux - Quillan (closed from December 2017; financing for reconstruction was agreed in January 2022 with reopening now targeted for 2032 (if at all))
• Bourges - Montluçon is to be reconstructed between 2023 and 2026

Services which are particularly threatened (earliest threatened closures at top)

There are no publicly declared plans for permanent closures known as at October 2022, but "local reports" have in the past suggested the following lines may be under threat - mainly because of deferred maintenance, poor passenger numbers, or from their crossing Regional boundaries - or all three causes:

• Grenoble - Aspres-sur-Buëch [ - Veynes-Dévoluy]
• Épinal - Bains-les-Bains - Lure
• Valenciennes - Lourches
• St.Georges-d'Aurac - Le Puy
• Chartres - Courtalain
• [Aurillac - ] Viescamp-sous-Jallès - Saint-Denis-près-Martel
• Crépy-en-Valois - Laon
• Lamballe - Dinan
• Livron - Veynes-Dévoluy
• Montluçon - Guéret [ - Saint-Sulpice-Laurière]
• Busseau-sur-Creuse - Felletin although service doubled from July 2017 and a weekend service restored from December 2023
• Gap - Briançon has even been floated as a possibility by the Région
• Oyonnax - Brion-Montréal-La Cluse (viability at risk after closure of St-Claude - Oyonnax from December 2017)

Readers should also take particular notice of lines listed as Other sparse services.

The Neussargues - Sévérac-le-Château – Millau – Béziers line had been considered likely to close but has had a stay of execution. Similarly threatened was [Marvejols – ] Le Monastier – Mende. It remains to be seen how the pro-public transport Occitanie Région deals with these lines, however despite repairs to the Neussargues - St Chély d'Apcher section of the Béziers line (in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes) having been undertaken, ongoing threats to this line continue to circulate.

The Cuneo [IT] - Limone [IT] - Tende [FR] - Breil-sur-Roya [FR] - Ventimiglia [IT] line had seen services reduced to two Trenitalia round trips (but with more trains over the French section Tende - Breil-sur-Roya [- Nice]). The two cross-border sections, previously the subject of high level disagreement between the two administrations, have been threatened; however end-to-end services have been increased to three trains each way per day.

Calvi station [Corsica] had been threatened with re-location on the other side of the last level crossing, thus shortening the line by approximately the length of the current station.

The speed permitted by SNCF Réseau over the lines used by CFT du Sud des Ardennes was severely reduced from 2014, with the result that the section Vouziers - Challerange had, until 2017, been used only during their Fête du Rail weekend. In 2018 SNCF Réseau declared their intention of divesting themselves of the eastern end of the line. CFTSA hoped that tourist operations (presumably with the line in local authority ownership) might resume beyond Attigny. However, all traffic was banned following the derailment of a freight train in 2018. Resumption of tourist operations was approved on 6 July 2019 but, these appear to have run only between Amagne and Attigny. The local communes have acquired the line, but in the short term, at least, trains may only operate as far as Voncq. The future of the line between Voncq and Challerange is under consideration.

The threat of a general reduction in permitted speeds - or even withdrawal of permission to run trains - hangs over all "preserved / heritage" operations on track owned by SNCF Réseau.

Line openings

LGV (Lignes à Grande Vitesse) related developments (latest developments at top)

. The French Wikipedia page has a useful map and chronology.

• Nîmes to Montpellier (Contournement Nîmes - Montpellier ("CNM")) opened 10 December 2017 for freight and 7 July 2018 for passengers. This is 60 km long, with 20 km of connecting lines and is accessible to "classic" traffic rather than restricted to TGVs. The line should eventually extend to Perpignan to connect with the line to Figueres (ES) and Barcelona.
• Two extensions of LGV Atlantique both opened on 2 July 2017: from near Tours to Bordeaux and from Le Mans to Rennes - the latter (apparently deferred from a May 2017 target date, although trial running did start at the end of November 2016) also includes a line avoiding Le Mans. From the July date, the existing southern exit from LGV Atlantique, at Monts near Tours, ceased to be regularly used.
• The phase 2 extension of LGV Est between Baudrecourt and Vendenheim (- Strasbourg) - deferred owing to the serious accident near Vendenheim in November 2015 - opened on 3 July 2016; at the same time, the original eastern exit at Baudrecourt ceased to have regular use.
• A direct curve to the west of Mulhouse between the Colmar line near Mulhouse-Dornach and the Belfort line near Brunstatt opened for passengers in December 2013, being used by those TGVs between Strasbourg and Belfort-Montbéliard TGV without a Mulhouse call. A new higher speed connection (Raccordement de Perrigny) between the Chagny and Belfort main lines, just south of Dijon, opened (apparently on the same date) for use by TGVs between Strasbourg and Lyon or beyond - except, of course, those booked to call at Lons-le-Saunier.
• The first phase of the LGV Rhin-Rhône, between Villers-Le-Pots (Dijon) and Petit Croix (Mulhouse) opened in December 2011. This included reopening to passengers of much of the Besançon - Devecey line (closed 11 May 1959), as a link to Besançon-Franche-Comté TGV station, and construction of an east-facing curve to the LGV. Subsequent phases of LGV Rhin-Rhône will extend west to avoid Dijon and south towards Lyon, although these are now in doubt.
• A connection between the stations of Avignon TGV and Avignon Centre also opened in December 2013.
• An isolated, international section of LGV between Perpignan and a new station 2 km west of Figueres [ES] also opened in December 2010, and was extended to Barcelona in January 2013. Through services to Barcelona started at the December 2013 timetable change. However, the consortium operating the line has gone into administration and the line passes to the French and Spanish governments, and thence to the two countries' railway infrastructure authorities.

The 27 June 2013 report of the Mobilité 21 commission (mentioned above) envisaged the abandonment of LGV schemes which are not already building or committed, in favour of improvement of the existing "classic" network (for example, the plan to link Poitiers and Limoges has been abandoned in consequence). However, the State Council unexpectedly approved the construction of the Bordeaux - Toulouse (planned for 2024) and Bordeaux - Dax (planned for 2027) lines .

Other developments - Implemented (latest developments at top)

• Angers Tramway - Lines B and C opened on 8 July 2023, adding 8.4 km to the network.
• A deviation through a relocated Donges station to avoid the refinery there opened on the (Nantes –) Savenay – St. Nazaire line on 7 October 2022. The old route closed on 23 September.
• Arras - St. Pol-sur-Ternoise reopened on 12 September 2022 after a two-year closure.
• Nîmes - Pont St. Esprit (on the Rhone West Bank line), including the triangular junction towards Avignon-Centre, reopened to passengers on 29 August 2022 (ceremony on 28 August).
• Saint-Germain-en-Laye – Saint-Cyr (Tram Express 13) opened on 6 July 2022, mostly re-using the Grand Ceinture Ouest line as a tram-train, but with new tram-only sections at each end. A branch from Lisiêre-Pereire (the former St-Germain-en-Laye GC station) to Achères-Ville RER is due to open in 2027.
• Chinon - Tours reopened on 12 February 2022, after a four month closure for a rebuilding project.
• [Épinal -] Arches - St. Dié-des-Vosges reopened on 12 December 2021.
• Retiers - Châteaubriant reopened on 30 August 2021.
• La Roche-sur-Yon - La Rochelle reopened on 31 July 2021 as a single line with passing loops at Luçon and Marans, after a closure lasting 19 months. Maximum speed has been raised to 130 km/h from 60 km/h.
• St Pol-sur-Ternoise - Etaples and St Pol-sur-Ternoise - Fouquereuil [- Béthune] both reopened on 26 April 2021.
• Gisors - Serqueux reopened December 2013. The line closed again on 12 December 2017 for a complete refurbishment, including electrification and resignalling, and reopened to passengers once more on 29 March 2021.
• Perpignan - Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains reopened in three stages during 2020: Perpignan - Ille-sur-Têt on 6 April, as far as Prades-Molitg-les-Bains on 31 August and the remainder of the line to Villefranche on 23 November.
• Abancourt - Le Tréport-Mers-les-Bains reopened 1 August 2020. However, only 3 round train trips a day [over Beauvais - Le Tréport] from 1 September with the rest buses.
• Beauvais - Abancourt reopened 8 February 2020.
• The Léman Express cross-border suburban network serving Genève and Annemasse began regular operation on 16 December 2019, following a formal inauguration on 12 December 2019. The Genève - Annemasse section is a partly diverted, wholly re-engineered now mainly subsurface line, and is now linked to Genève Cornavin station. For the Cornavin - Eaux-Vives - Annemasse [CEVA] Project follow link
• St Etienne Tramway - Line 3 Extension; going 4.3 km Northwards from Gare SNCF Chateaucreux, with six new stops, opened on 16 November 2019.
• The new 5.2 km Avignon Tramway, with ten stops, opened on 19 October 2019.
• Rennes - Retiers reopened 31 August 2019
• Belfort - Delle (closed to passengers in September 1992) reopened 9 December 2018, restoring a connection with the Swiss network)
• Erquelinnes (SNCB) - Jeumont reopened 9 December 2018 with two trains each way Namur - Charleroi-Sud - Maubeuge
• Quévy (SNCB) - Hautmont reopened 9 December 2018 with two trains each way between Mons and Aulnoye
• Virgule de Sablé-sur-Sarthe: Laval (SEI 75 Auvers) - Sablé-sur-Sarthe: opened in conjunction with the LGV Atlantique Bretagne-Pays de la Loire (BPL) extension (see above) on 2 July 2017, this west <=> south link with the "classic" line from Le Mans to Nantes enables TER trains to run direct [Rennes - ] Laval - Angers [ - Nantes].
• Le Bourget - Epinay-sur-Seine: first phase (6.5km) of Tangentielle Nord tram-train T11 opened 1 July 2017, alongside Grande Ceinture, operated by SNCF subsidiary Transkeo
• Chartres - Voves (closed as long ago as February 1942) reopened 12 December 2016, as the first stage of reopening through to Orléans (see plan).
• A curve linking Mérignac-Arlac (on the Ceinture de Bordeaux) with Pessac opened on 11 December 2016.
• [Le Havre -] Bréauté-Beuzeville - Fécamp reopened on 8 December 2016.
• Oloron Ste. Marie - Bedous reopened on 26 June 2016.
• [Avignon -] Sorgues - Carpentras reopened on 25 April 2015.
• The Thionville - Bif de Florange [- Hayange] curve regained a train from 3 April 2016 after a long period with no service, and from December 2016 all trains from the Longuyon line used this curve instead of that facing Metz.
• The line from Calais to Dunkerque was electrified in 2014.
• Nantes - Nort-sur-Erdre - Châteaubriant opened February 2014, as a tram-train.
• A north - west curve at Folligny, allowing direct running between Caen and Granville, came into service in July 2013. Initially this was for limited use during the summer, but since December 2018 it has been used by all trains to and from Caen.
• A new west-facing curve off the Alès line at Nîmes, enabling trains to avoid reversal at Courbessac yard, opened in March 2013.
• Mulhouse - Neuenburg (Germany) increased to a full service (in place of seasonal service) from December 2012.
• An east - south curve avoiding Tassin (Lyon) opened in December 2012, providing direct service between Lyon St.Paul and Brignais.
• Trains on the Ligne du Médoc which had previously served Bordeaux Ravezies were all diverted via the Raccordement Bonnaous-Beyreman from August 2012.

In the "tourist/heritage" sector:

• AJECTA ceased operating over the 15 km section of SNCF freight line between Provins and Villiers-St.Georges in November 2023, following the sudden closure the line by SNCF Réseau, after resuming occasional excursions on 15 April 2017.
• Le Petit Train de la Mure reopened a 15 km section of metre-gauge line in July 2021 between a new station at La Mure and Le Grand Balcon - a site overlooking the lake of Monteynard. This is just short of La Clapisse, where a rockfall closed the entire 33 km route of the Chemin de Fer de la Mure from St.Georges de Commiers after the 2010 season.
• Chemins de Fer du Centre-Bretagne (CFCB) commenced operations in July 2021 between Pontivy and Lambel-Camors on the line to Auray. Services run on Sundays and Wednesdays in July and August. This is a separate, more southerly section of the former through line from Saint-Brieuc, on which CFCB services as far as Loudéac ceased in 2016; see Services which have been or are to be "suspended" but with no sign of reopening, above.
• CFT Vermandois resumed occasional excursions into Saint-Quentin SNCF station from 28 May 2017, after being debarred from using this short section from their depot in the town since 2013 (but check locally as some excursions are advertised from their depot instead).
• MTVS commenced operating Le Train à Vapeur du Beauvaisis on a 1.7km section of metre-gauge track at Crèvecoeur-le-Grand from 14 May 2017. This is laid on the track bed of the standard gauge line to St.-Omer-en-Chaussée, abandoned in 1990. Their longer-established short museum line adjacent to Valmondois SNCF station also continues to run - but only one of the two lines operates on any given date.
• Train Touristique du Pays de Puisaye-Forterre operated by l’Association des Autorails Touristiques de l’Yonne reopened the 3 km section [Toucy - ] Moutiers - Les Étangs de Moutiers from 14 July 2016, and hope to extend further towards St. Fargeau.
• MTVS (L'association du Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français) moved equipment to Crèvecoeur-le- Grand and has started operations on 1.6 km of the former line to St-Omer-en-Chaussée; the next phase is to extend a further 1.3 km to Rotangy.
• Train Touristique l'Albrèt (Nérac - Mézin; 15 km), which closed in 2012 because of "bureaucratic" problems, resumed operations in the guise of the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Pays de l'Albret on 15 March 2015.

Other developments - Projected

It is proposed to reopen the [Cholet –] Saint-Christophe-du-Bois – La Roche-sur-Yon line as far as Les Herbiers for regular passenger services, principally to serve the Puy du Fou theme park near Les Épesses station but also for local commuting purposes. Although closed to passengers as long ago as 1939 and to freight in 1992, the line is currently used by the Chemins de Fer de la Vendée heritage operation. Some financing is already in place and the hope is to be able to upgrade the line to SNCF passenger standards and resume regular services by 2030. It is planned to retain the heritage operation alongside the reinstated passenger service.

In the "tourist/heritage" sector:

• Le Train du Bas Berry - SABA hoped to reopen the section of the metre-gauge Blanc-Argent line between their present northern terminus, Luçay-le-Mâle, and Valençay ("temporarily" closed by SNCF from October 2009) with a seasonal Sunday service in 2018 but this has had to be postponed because (at late notice) SNCF want layout changes at Valençay....
• CF Historique de la Voie Sacrée have (re-)constructed 4.2km of metre gauge line through the forest of Massonge between Bar-le-Duc Fédération and Saint-Christophe (Vavincourt). The line (but not terminal station) is complete and heritage trains now commenced.
• CF Touristique de Pontarlier à Vallorbe's (Coni'Fer) line from Les Hôpitaux-Neufs to La Fontaine-Ronde is being extended 2.5 km northwards to Combe-Motta. The extension has not opened as yet (October 2023).
• Rail52 plan to reopen the section Veuxhaulles - Bricon of the line between Gray and Vesoul in 2019 or 2020
• CF Touristique du Sud des Ardennes hope to resume operation beyond Attigny in 2019 (see under Services which are particularly threatened, above)

Older Changes

For details of older changes see France - Older General Information.

Special notes

Until relatively recent decades, the only regular interval services operated by SNCF were on Paris suburban lines. The introduction of a regular interval service on the LGV lines from Paris to Lyon, Lille and Nantes resulted in increased traffic, and - at SNCF Réseau prompting (for line capacity reasons) - schedules to standard clock-face pattern (cadencé) - although by no means necessarily every hour everywhere! - were widely introduced from December 2011 in the first total overhaul of French timetables other than for opening of LGVs. It had been the practice for many main lines to be closed for several hours each day, usually during the morning, for maintenance. The new cadencé schedule should minimise these blancs travaux which caused long gaps between trains. There had been a growing tendency - in an endeavour to catch up with deferred track maintenance - for services on secondary and local lines to be replaced by buses for exstensive periods without this being shown in the timetable; however, much of such work should now be completed. The infrequent services on many secondary or tertiary lines reflects the sparse population in much of France, and the relatively small size of many cities - or perhaps reflect the demand for travel to work fifty or more years ago, rather than the current needs of people working more flexibly or travelling for leisure. Certainly, the traveller on cross-country and local routes will hanker for the frequency of service found on just about all other European systems while concluding that the travel writers who lavish their praise on the LGV network never tangle with the more backward parts of the SNCF system!

Strikes (Grèves) are not uncommon on French railways. These may be localised and information about them may not be widely circulated elsewhere. It is the practice to close sections of line for electrification or other reconstruction work for periods of several months, or eben longer; potential travellers should check carefully for such temporary closures. https://www.sncf-connect.com/aide/informations-situation-perturbee

If a station name begins 'La' or 'Le', this is ignored in alphabetic indices; for example La Bastide-St Laurent-les-Bains is listed under B, and Le Havre under H. Treatment of places named after saints, of which there are a large number in France, varies. SNCF disregards gender, so Ste Gemme (female) comes between St Gely and St Genest (male) in the station index. However, in indices to Michelin guides and maps, female saints (Ste) all follow the male ones (St).

Monaco

SNCF operates the 1.7 km of railway through Monaco, which does not have its own railway administration. Journeys between French stations and Monaco-Monte Carlo are regarded as domestic and are subject to SNCF conditions of carriage, not CIV.