LGV Nord

LGV Nord
Eurostar north of Watten
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	SNCF Réseau
Locale	France (Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France)
Termini	Channel Tunnel Gare du Nord
Stations	4
Service
Type	High-speed rail
System	SNCF
Operator(s)	Eurostar SNCF Thalys
History
Opened	1993
Technical
Line length	333 km (207 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track throughout + loops
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Loading gauge	UIC GC
Electrification	Overhead line, 25 kV 50 Hz AC
Operating speed	300 km/h (190 mph)
Signalling	TVM-430
Route map Legend High Speed 1 to London Channel Tunnel England France border English Channel to Calais-Ville 112.6 Calais-Fréthun 111.1 to Calais-Ville 85.2 to Dunkerque to Lille-Flandres 11.7 Lille-Flandres │ Lille-Europe Paris–Lille railway to Douai 0.0 198.0 HSL 1 to Brussels 161.2 Paris–Lille railway to Douai Arras Paris–Lille railway to Longueau 110.8 Haute-Picardie LGV to Strasbourg & Lyon Paris–Lille railway to Longueau 0.0 15.8 Paris–Lille railway to Paris-Nord This diagram: view talk edit

The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Nord (English : North High-Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Nord, is a French 333-kilometre (207 mi)-long high-speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille.

With a maximum speed of 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph), the line appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille. Its extensions to the north (Belgium, the Channel Tunnel) and the south (via the LGV Interconnexion Est) have reduced journey times to Great Britain and Benelux and for inter-regional trips between the Nord (Pas de Calais) region and the southeast and southwest of France. Its route is twinned with the A1 for 130 kilometres (81 mi), which is why it was given its official nickname, the A1 Highway. As it is mostly built in flat areas, the maximum incline is 25 metres per kilometre (2.5‰).

Of all French high-speed lines, the LGV Nord sees the widest variety of high-speed rolling stock: the TGV POS, TGV Réseau, TGV Atlantique, TGV Duplex, Eurostar e300, Eurostar e320, Thalys PBA and PBKA as well as rolling stock on local trains. Traffic is controlled by the Lille rail traffic centre.