The Network Effect

Success bred ambition. If Paris-Lyon worked, why not Paris-Bordeaux? Paris-Marseille? Paris-London? The TGV Atlantique opened in 1989, reaching France's western coast. The TGV Nord connected Paris to Lille and, via the Channel Tunnel, to London. The TGV Est linked Paris with Strasbourg and Germany.

Each expansion brought new challenges. The TGV Méditerranée, reaching Marseille, had to traverse the challenging terrain of the Rhône Valley. Environmental concerns had grown since the first line, requiring extensive consultations and design modifications to minimize impact. The solution included building some sections on viaducts to preserve ground-level ecosystems and using cut-and-cover tunnels to maintain landscape continuity.

Fatima Belaïd, an environmental engineer of Algerian origin who worked on the TGV Méditerranée, pioneered approaches to integrate high-speed rail with environmental protection. "We learned that speed wasn't everything," she explained. "A train that takes five minutes longer but preserves a watershed or migration route is a better train. This thinking influenced not just French projects but high-speed rail development globally."