France's transport relies on one of the world's busiest networks with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of railway lines per 100 km2. It is built like a web with Paris in its center.
History
The first important contributions to the development of transport in France were the Roman roads, connecting large settlements and providing a quick passage of marching armies. There were few improvements in the Middle Ages. Transport has become slow and inconvenient to use. Significant improvements took place in the early modern period.
There was a very fast production of canals connecting the rivers. Great changes have also taken place in ocean shipping. Expensive galleys, wind-powered ships, which were much faster and had more cargo space, became popular for coastal trade.
Transatlantic shipments from the New World have transformed cities such as Nantes, Bordeaux, Cherbourg-Octeville and Le Havre into major ports.
The development of various modes of transport in France
Rail transport in France is carried out mainly by the French national railway company SNCF. France has the second largest railway network in Europe with a total length of 29, 901 kilometers.
However, the railway is a small part of the entire journey, which is less than 10% of passengers. Since 1981, SNCF has operated the TGV high-speed rail network, which has been expanding continuously in subsequent years.
France is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC).
Railway transport
A characteristic leap in the development of French railway transport dates back to 1832, when the first French railway was launched. Since 1842, the French railway has been strongly polarized by Paris. Traffic is concentrated on the main lines: 78% of the activity is carried out on 30% of the network (8900 km), while 46% of the smaller lines (13600 km) drive 6% of the traffic.
The 366 largest stations (12%) account for 85% of passenger activity, while the smallest 56% of stations account for only 1.7% of the traffic.
Freight transportation
Freight has declined since the early 1980s. Today, the network is primarily focused on passengers. Since January 1, 2007, the freight market has been open for compliance with European Union agreements (EU Directive 91/440).
Network
The French railway network is a network of commercial use of 29, 213 km of lines, of which 9, 408 km are electrified.
Trains run to the left, with the exception of Alsace and the Moselle, where the first routes were built at a time when these regions were part of Germany.
Current state
French high-speed trains InterCity Service (TET) are in decline, with old infrastructure and wagons. Travel to the UK through the Channel Tunnel has improved in recent years, now passengers have the opportunity to travel directly to Marseille, Avignon and Lyon.
Eurostar also introduces a new class of 374 trains and carries out major repairs of the existing 373 class.
The International Transport Forum described the current status of French railways in its paper entitled “French Railways Performance Indicators” as follows:
- The success of TGV is undeniable (Crozet, 2013). Work began in September 1975 on the first High Speed Railway (HSR) between Paris and Lyon, and it opened in September 1981. New high-speed lines were opened in 1989 (south-west), in 1993 (north) and others. The high-speed network currently covers 2, 000 km, and will reach more than 2, 600 km in 2017 with the opening of four lines currently under construction.
- Rail transport was much less successful. In 2001, the French network transported 55 billion tons, but in 2013 this figure barely reached 32 billion tons. This poor performance contrasts sharply with the ambitious public policies of the past fifteen years. The Grenelle Environmental Forum (2007–2010) led the rollout of an expensive freight plan that was no more efficient than its predecessors.
Trams
Despite the closure of most first-generation tram systems in France in previous years, a rapidly growing number of large cities in the country have modern tram or light rail networks, including Paris, Lyon (which has the largest), Toulouse, Montpellier, Saint-Etienne and Nantes.
Recently, a very large revival of trams has occurred with a large number of experiments, such as the ground level of food in Bordeaux, or trolley-buses similar to trams in Nancy.
This mode of travel began to fade in France in the late 1930s. Only Lille, Marseille and Saint-Etienne never abandoned tram systems.
Tram systems are planned or built in Dijon, Le Havre, Tours and Fort de France. The revival of tram networks in France has led to a number of technical developments in both traction systems and car styling.
Each tram has two skates for collecting electricity, next to which there are antennas that send radio signals to power the power segments as the tram passes through them.
Alstom developed such a system in the first place to avoid obtrusive power cables in a sensitive area of the old city of Bordeaux.
The latest style used in Strasbourg embodies modern design, which makes it look almost the same as a train and has large windows along its entire length.
River transport in France
The French network of natural and technological waterways is the largest in Europe with a French shipping authority that manages shipping sections. What surprises France? The possibility of using sea and river transport.
Facilities operated by the French shipping authority include waterways, canals and navigable rivers, 494 dams, 1, 595 castles, 74 navigable aqueducts, 65 reservoirs, 35 tunnels and a land area of 800 sq. M. m
Maritime transport of France
France has a large merchant fleet, including 55 ships. Local companies operate more than 1, 400 vessels, 700 of which are registered in the country.
110 French shipping shipping companies, 12, 500 personnel at sea and 15, 500 onshore. 305 million tons of cargo and 15 million passengers are transported annually by sea. Maritime transport is responsible for 72% of imports and exports of France.
France also boasts a number of seaports and harbors, including Bayonne, Bordeaux, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Brest, Calais, Cherbourg-Octeville, Dunkirk, Foz-sur-Mer, La Pallis and others.
Airports
France has long been a favorite destination for travelers from around the world. The reasons still exist - romantic cities, rugged by the north-western shores, the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, many wine regions, great food and, of course, winter sports in the Alps and Pyrenees.
Major French cities have international airports that connect France with almost all countries of the world. The busiest airport is Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, which operates most international flights.
But many other cities, such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse, have important international airports, which allows you to plan your vacation depending on which region you are heading to:
Charles de Gaulle Airport is located about 25 kilometers from Paris. It is named after the former president of France, General Charles de Gaulle. More than eight million people fly to this large international city every year.
Departure Hall Galerie Parisienne is the largest hall in the country with more than 20 exits.
Paris Orly (ORY) is the hub for six different airlines, including France's Transavia. It is a popular airport with people who want to get to Paris without having to go through the extensive Charles de Gaulle.
This is one of the largest airports, as 26 million passengers pass through its doors annually.
Nice Airport is the liveliest international airport in France that serves the coastal city of Nice.
Conveniently located in the coastal Alps of France, this airport is ideal for driving to the nation state of Monaco. Since so many celebrities welcome this airport, it has easy access to a nearby helipad.
- Lyon Airport (LYS) is also known as Lyon-Saint-Exupery Airport, and it serves the Rhone-Alpes region. It is the fourth busiest airport in France, with over 7.5 million passengers. It is well connected with public transport, including trains.
- Bordeaux Airport (airport code BOD) is located in the Gironde department. It has a long history, since wartime. Previously, it was used by the Americans as a major air base during the Cold War, and today the French Air Force still uses the airport for these purposes.
Metro
For people living, working and vacationing in Paris, the metro is an indispensable source of affordable and efficient transportation. It consists of more than 300 stations throughout the city and operates from Thursday to Sunday from 5:30 a.m. to 12:40 a.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 a.m. to 1:40 a.m. The metro also runs late on public holidays. At rush hour, you do not have to wait long for the next train, since the waiting time is up to 2 minutes.
This metro is the second busiest in Europe, as more than a billion people use it every year. The metro was opened in 1900 during the World Exhibition with the launch of the first line. The main parts of the system were completed about 20 years later, until it was expanded further into the suburbs.
After the Second World War, the development of the Paris metro reached its peak as new trains were added. However, networking and other additional changes were difficult. This was compounded by the proximity of metro stations to each other. Travel to Paris was also facilitated by the introduction of the Regional Express Network, which connects several metro stations to integrate both systems. In the first half of the 80s of the last century, the Leger car was designed, which is the first of its kind to be used as public transport for the city.
Taxi in France
Taxis in France are difficult to distinguish from ordinary cars. Cars do not have a special shade: yellow or black, but at the top they have a white plastic box fixed. If the inside of the box glows brilliant, this taxi is likely free and ready for new passengers.
As elsewhere, in France a taxi can be requested to stop by throwing up a hand. It will slow down only if there is a parking place within a radius of 50 meters. Almost all cars are equipped with special phones by which the operator can always find a free car and send it to a given point.
Without interrupting the conversation with the client, the taxi operator will quickly find a free car, show you the taxi number and make of the car that will come to you.
To travel to France by car, you must have:
a) a national driver’s license (if you are not an EU citizen, you must have an international driver’s license);
b) certificate of registration, which is called "la carte Grise" in France;
c) certificate of insurance.
If your stay in France is less than 6 months, you can freely travel around the country by car. You can also rent a car. You can find rental companies at every airport and at most stations in the country. If your stay in France exceeds 6 months, then you must renew your license and send your car for inspection.
