Dense and highly centralised, the railway network is managed by the SNCF. Coming from London, Eurostar is the most convenient means of transport.
When transferring through Paris, it is important to know that your connecting train may depart from a different station. There are 5 main train stations in Paris each of which can be easily found on the Paris Métro network.
The French transportation system is one of the best in western Europe. French railways, which were nationalized just before World War II,
and French passenger mileage is also slightly greater than that of its eastern neighbor. The government has used low freight rates to stimulate economic activity, and passenger rates have been kept artificially low to make traveling easier for the lower income groups.
In addition, the state has electrified the busiest lines (26% of the total track is now electric, but this carries over 75% of all traffic). It has also developed Europe's fastest passenger train, the high-speed Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV); it began operation in 1981 on a specially built Paris-Lyon track, where it cruised at up to 185 miles per hour (298 km/h).