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Added on the 18/12/2021 15:17:55 - Copyright : Huffington Post
In this week's French Connections show, we're climbing aboard an institution: the TGV. France's cherished bullet train is an important part of the landscape and has been connecting far-flung parts of the country for more than 40 years. The first voyage of a TGV was inaugurated by President François Mitterrand in September 1981. Not only was it an industrial feat, it also revolutionised modern train travel and decentralised the country. So what does the TGV of the future look like? And can it keep France's state-owned railway company, the SNCF, on track against mounting competition? We take a closer look.
French President Emmanuel Macron attends the unveiling of a life-size model of the engine of the new TGV M at the Gare de Lyon in Paris, to mark the 40th anniversary of the high-speed TGV. The latest model is expected to hit the rails in 2024. COMPLETES VIDI9MZ9PP_EN IMAGES
French ambulances bring patients suffering from the coronavirus to the Nancy train station in order to be transferred via a specially-adapted medical train from the Grand Est region to New Aquitaine, and relieve congested hospitals. The Grand Est region is one of the regions most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. IMAGES
A high-speed TGV train locomotive derailed early this morning while travelling from the eastern French city of Strasbourg to Paris, injuring the driver, national rail operator SNCF said. Images of rescue workers at the site of the accident near Vendenheim, around 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of Strasbourg. IMAGES
IN THE FRENCH PAPERS - Thursday, June 8: Emmanuel Macron's government prepares to present education reforms that critics say will simply undo the hard work of the previous administration. The French papers are feeling undecided about the outcome of the UK's all-important general election today and finally, a man is mistaken for a terrorist on a French train!
It's a sea of bodies and suitcases at Paris's Gare de Lyon on what is the busiest day of the summer for the SNCF (French national rail network, Eds.). A million passengers, some leaving for, others returning from their holidays, are expected to travel by train over the weekend. IMAGES