The TGV Est Européen halves journey times between Paris and the east of France.  Trains running at an awesome 320kph, bring the fascinating regions of Champagne-Ardenne, famous for its sparkling wine, and Alsace-Lorraine, with its uniquely German-influenced culture, within easy reach.  

Tickets for this new high-speed service are on sale now and customers can save up to a massive 85% when they book before 12th August 2007

The new high speed line from Paris to the east of France will officially open to rail travellers on Sunday 10 June 2007.  Linking Paris, Gare de l'Est to 23 destinations in Eastern France and 10 international destinations, the line will dramatically reduce journey times by up to half.

This is the first high speed line to open in France since 2001 when the TGV Méditerranée line opened, linking Paris to destinations such as Avignon, Aix en Provence and Marseille in the south of France, in much quicker times than had previously been possible.

There will be 100 departures from Paris on the TGV Est Européen high speed line daily. 17 cities will be reached in 2 hours or under. 26 cities will be reached in 3 hours or under.

The new TGV trains have been designed by Christian Lacroix, to run on the TGV Est Européen line between Paris and Strasbourg and onwards to Luxembourg, Stuttgart and Munich.

The seats on board are wider with more leg room - 7cm more than on other TGVs.

Standard class onboard a Lacroix train

Every seat is reclining with a footrest, and each one has a headrest, with an individual reading light.

In first class, each seat has its own power outlet for charging mobile phones or laptops.

1st class onboard a Lacroix train

There are 2 'family areas' which consist of 4 seats and a table. The table top is convertible into game boards and two of the seats can be tipped up to make floor space for children to play.

There are also 2 'office spaces' which are located between the main coaches and provide a more private area for meetings of 2 or 3 people. Each office space has 4 power outlets.

There are dedicated wheelchair spaces and also cycle spaces on board.

In addition to a buffet carriage, which will be located in the centre of the train, there will also be 2 ‘eat and drink corners’ with snack and drink vending machines.

In order to manage the anticipated increased numbers of travellers, three new stations have been built on the new line:

Champagne- Ardenne TGV  - Located 5km from Reims - Local train services link Champagne-Ardenne TGV station to Reims city station.

Meuse TGV  - Located 30km from Bar-le-Duc and Verdun -Road links connect Meuse TGV to nearby towns

Lorraine TGV - Located 27 km from Metz - Located 37 km from Nancy - Road links connect Lorraine TGV to nearby towns

In addition to the new stations which have been built, 21 stations on the route are being refurbished, including Gare de l'Est in Paris and Strasbourg station.  Additional services to be introduced in selected stations include WiFi and increased retail outlets. The stations are being designed to improve access and lessen congestion at busy times.

For the first time, from June '07, passengers will also be able to take a TGV (3 services daily, 2 of those corresponding with Eurostar train arrivals) between Lille Europe and Strasbourg. A change of station in Paris is currently the only option when travelling to Strasbourg by train from the UK.

The SNCF domestic point to point fare structure will apply to all journeys within France.
Example Prices (approximate fares for a one way journey):

From the day that tickets go on sale , 10 April 2007, an introductory special offer will be available for travel within France on TGV Est Européen routes between 10 June and 26 August 2007.
5,000 tickets will be made available each day for just £11.50 per person, one way, on most TGV Est Européen French routes and just £7.50 per person, one way, on journeys between Paris and Reims, Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Chalons-en-Champagne, Vitry, Bar le Duc, Rethel and Meuse TGV. 

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