TGV Sud-Est

The TGV Sud-Est was the original TGV trainset, entering revenue service in 1981 on the newly built high-speed line between Paris and Lyon and establishing the point-to-point high-speed rail model that France's TGV network has followed ever since. Originally designed around gas turbine propulsion before the 1973 oil crisis pushed development toward full electrification, the Sud-Est sets could sustain roughly 270 kilometers per hour in ordinary service, faster than any regularly scheduled train in the world at the time of introduction. Its commercial and technical success on the Paris-Lyon line led directly to the expansion of the TGV network across France and to derivative high-speed trainset designs adopted by other European and international railways.