France - 29,000km
Top 9 in Top 10 Longest Railway Networks
France has the second largest railway network in Europe and the ninth largest in the world. The French rail network mainly serves passengers. The French national railway company (State-owned Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais) – SNCF is the country's main railway operator.
The country's high-speed long-haul passenger service is known as Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) and standard long-haul passenger services operate under the name Intercités. The short and medium distance passenger rail services are known as Transport Express Régional (TER). This rail system links to neighboring countries such as Belgium, Italy and the United Kingdom.
France is one of the early adopters of high-speed rail technology. The SNCF launched the TGV high-speed rail in 1981. The country's current high-speed network exceeds 1,550 km in length. The Tours-Bordeaux high-speed rail project, scheduled for completion in 2017, will add another 302 kilometers to the network.
