Rail Holidays France

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Transport and Heritage

This page contains information on our line, the mainline between Paris and Bordeaux, in particular the section between Poitiers and Angouleme. It also contains a brief history of the railway system in France (click here) and information on interesting places to visit. Follow this link for further information which can be found via other websites.

The Poitiers to Angouleme Mainline

The line between Poitiers and Angouleme was fully opened in 1853 by the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer Paris-Orleans (PO), which was one of the privately owned rail operating companies operating in the 19^th century and one to be nationalised in the 1930s by the formation of the SNCF.

Electrification of the line was first carried out between 1925 and 1938 at 1500V DC. The line itself is currently owned by Reseau Ferre de France, a public body created in 1997 similar to the UKs Network Rail, but the line is operated by SNCF. 

Traffic on the line running between Poitiers and Angouleme include TER (Transports Express Regionaux) Poitou Charentes and the TGV as well as many freight services.

The TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse) operating on the Poitiers – Angouleme line are the TGV Atlantique trains, built by Alstom. These trains began service in 1989, they are 237.5m long and 2.9m wide. They have up to 485 seats and weigh 444 tonnes. The maximum speed of a TGV Atlantique is 300km/h (186mph), however the current maximum line speed between Poitiers and Angouleme is 220km/h (137mph). 

A new high speed line is proposed that will link Paris to Bordeaux, the LGV (Ligne a Grande Vitesse) Sud Europe Atlantique which will have a maximum line speed of 320km/h (199mph). Work on the new section of line between Tours and Angouleme is expected to start in 2012 with the line open for service in 2016.

A Short History of Railways in France

During the 19^th century railway construction in France was limited to short lines associated with mineral workings and the construction of the main public railway network did not commence until the 1840s when the French Government introduced important railway legislation.

Up until that point the development of railways in France occurred much more slowing then in other European countries, in particular Britain and neighbouring Belgium. In France, at that time, cargo was generally carried by a well developed canal, river and sea transport network. Stakeholders in these water based transport networks held a lot of power in Government and were therefore naturally opposed to the building of a rail network. Additionally the French iron and coal industries were slower to develop then in Britain which added to the slow growth of the French rail system.

In 1842 the French Government passed new railway legislation which meant the the department of the Ponts et Chaussées took over responsibility of the planning and engineering of new railway lines. The Government would also pay the costs of rail infrastructure and land, leaving the private rail operating companies to supply the tracks, rolling stock and stations, and to pay for the operating costs. At the time the railways were leased to the rail operating companies for 36 years (this lease was later extended to 99 years).

The French Government made the decision that every town with more than 1500 inhabitants had to be connected to a standard gauge rail track. Other narrow gauge (1000mm) tracks were built.

The French rail system, as it developed during the 19^th century, tended to radiate out from Paris. This meant that transport to and from the capital was generally good but there were often poor direct links between other major towns and cities. It is said that this arrangement hurt the French economy and hinder war efforts during the Franco-Prussian war (as the German rail network, by contrast was constructed in a grid like manner which meant transportation of equipment, supplies and troops by rail was much more efficient).

In the 1930s the French Government nationalised the rail network by forming the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais (SNCF). This was made easier by the fact the rail network had originally been leased to the private operating companies. The nationalisation of the rail network was partly the result of a socialist government and partly due to the financial difficulties being faced by the rail operating companies in a period when the road network was being more highly developed. The most recent advances in the French rail system was the development of the LGV lines (Lignes à Grande Vitesse) in the 1980s and the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994.