France's transport relies on one of the densest networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of railway lines per 100 km2. It is built like a web with Paris at its center.
History
The first important contributions to the development of transport in France were Roman roads, connecting large settlements and providing a quick passage for marching armies. There were few improvements in the Middle Ages. Transport became slow and inconvenient to use. The early modern period saw significant improvements.
There was a very rapid production of canals connecting rivers. There have been big changes in ocean shipping. Expensive galleys, wind-powered ships that were much faster and had more cargo space, became popular for coastal trade.
Transatlantic shipping from the New World has turned cities like Nantes, Bordeaux, Cherbourg-Octeville and Le Havre into major ports.
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 rail network in Europe with a total length of 29,901 kilometers.
However, the railway is a small part of the whole journey, accounting for less than 10% of the passengers. Since 1981, SNCF has operated the TGV high-speed rail network, which has been continuously expanded in the following years.
France is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC).
Rail transport
The 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 activity is carried out on 30% of the network (8900 km), while 46% of the smaller lines (13600 km) drive 6% of traffic.
The top 366 stations (12%) account for 85% of passenger activity, while the smallest 56% stations account for only 1.7% of traffic.
Freight transportation
Freight traffic has declined since the early 1980s. Today, the network is predominantly focused on passengers. Since January 1, 2007, the freight transport market has been open to comply with European Union agreements (EU Directive 91/440).
Network
The French rail network is a network of commercial lines 29213 km, of which 9408 km are electrified.
Trains run to the left, except for Alsace and Moselle, where the first lines were built when these regions were part of Germany.
Current state
French high-speed trains "Intercity Service" (TET) are in decline, with old infrastructure and cars. Travel to the UK via the Channel Tunnel has improved in recent years, with passengers now able to travel directly to Marseille, Avignon and Lyon.
Eurostar is also introducing a new Class 374 train and overhauling the existing Class 373.
The International Transport Forum summed up the current status of French railways in its paper titled "French Railway Performance Indicators" as follows:
- The success of TGV is undeniable (Crozet, 2013). Work began in September 1975 on the first high-speed rail (HSR) between Paris and Lyon and it was opened in September 1981. New high-speed lines were opened in 1989 (southwest), 1993 (north), etc. The high-speed network currently covers 2,000 km, and will reach over 2,600 km in 2017 with the opening of four lines currently under construction.
- Rail transport was far less successful. In 2001, the French network carried 55 billion tonne-kilometres, but in 2013 the figure barely reached 32 billion tonne-kilometres. This weak performance contrasts sharply with the ambitious government policies of the last fifteen years. The Grenelle Environment Forum (2007-2010) led the rollout of an expensive freight plan that was no more thanefficient than its predecessors.
Trams
Despite the closure of most of France's first generation tram systems in previous years, a rapidly growing number of major cities in the country have modern tram or light rail networks, including Paris, Lyon (has the largest), Toulouse, Montpellier, Saint-Étienne and Nantes.
Recently there has been a very big resurgence of trams with lots of experimentation such as ground-level power in Bordeaux, or tram-like trolleybuses in Nancy.
This mode of travel began to disappear in France in the late 1930s. Only Lille, Marseille and Saint-Étienne have never abandoned tram systems.
Tram systems planned or under construction in Dijon, Le Havre, Tours and Fort-de-France. The resurgence of tram networks in France has led to a number of technical developments in both traction systems and vehicle styling.
Each tram has two power harvesting ridges, next to which are antennas that send out radio signals to power the power lines as the tram passes over them.
Alstom designed this system in the first place to avoid intrusive power cables in this sensitive area of the old city of Bordeaux.
The latest style used in Strasbourg embodies a modern design that makes it look almost like a train and have large windows all along its length.
River transport in France
French networknatural and technological waterways is the largest in Europe, having a French shipping authority that manages the shipping sections. What surprises France? The possibility of using sea and river transport.
Facilities managed by the French shipping authority include waterways, canals and navigable rivers, 494 dams, 1595 castles, 74 navigable aqueducts, 65 reservoirs, 35 tunnels and a land area of 800 square meters. m.
Marine 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 transport shipping companies, 12,500 personnel at sea and 15,500 ashore. Every year, 305 million tons of cargo and 15 million passengers are transported by sea. Sea transport is responsible for 72% of France's imports and exports.
France also boasts a number of seaports and harbours, including Bayonne, Bordeaux, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Brest, Calais, Cherbourg-Octeville, Dunkirk, Fos-sur-Mer, La Pallice and more.
Airports
France has long been a favorite destination for travelers from all over the world. The reasons still exist - romantic towns indented by the northwestern shores, the southern Mediterranean coast, 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 countriespeace. The busiest airport is Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, which handles the majority of international flights.
But many other cities such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse have important international airports, allowing you to plan your holiday 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 major international city every year
The Galerie Parisienne departure hall is the largest departure hall in the country with over 20 exits.
Paris Orly (ORY) is the hub for six different airlines, including France's Transavia. This is a popular airport with people who want to get to Paris without having to go through the vast Charles de Gaulle
This is one of the largest airports with 26 million passengers passing through its doors every year.
Nice Airport is a busy international airport in France serving the coastal city of Nice
Conveniently located in the Alpes-Maritimes region of France, this airport is ideal for driving to the nation state of Monaco. Because this airport welcomes so many celebrities, it has easy access to a nearby helipad.
- Lyon Airport (LYS) is also known as Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport and it serves the regionRhone-Alpes. It is the fourth busiest airport in France, with over 7.5 million passengers. It is well connected to public transport including trains.
- Bordeaux Airport (airport code BOD) is located in the Gironde department. It has a long history, dating back to wartime. It used to be used by the Americans as a major air base during the Cold War, and today the French Air Force still uses the airport for this purpose.
Metro
For people who live, work and play in Paris, the metro is an indispensable source of affordable and efficient transport. It consists of over 300 stations throughout the city and operates Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 am to 12:40 am, and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 am to 1:40 am. The metro also runs late on public holidays. During rush hour you won't have to wait long for the next train as the waiting time is up to 2 minutes.
This metro is the second busiest in Europe with over a billion people using it every year. The metro was opened in 1900 during the World Exhibition with the launch of the first line. Major 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 incremental changes were difficult. This was exacerbated by the proximity of metro stations to each other. Travel to Paris has also been made easier by the introduction of the Regional Express Network, whichconnects multiple 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 used as a public transport for the city.
Taxi in France
Taxis in France are hard to distinguish from ordinary cars. The cars do not have a special shade: yellow or black, but they have a white plastic box fixed on top. If the inside of the box glows brightly, the taxi is probably free and ready for new passengers.
As elsewhere, in France taxis can be asked to stop by throwing up their hands. It will slow down only if there is a parking space 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) 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 by car around the country. Youyou can also rent a car. You can find car rental companies at every airport and most railway stations in the country. If your stay in France exceeds 6 months, then you must renew your license and send your car in for inspection.
Ferries
There are several ways to get to France, and the ferry is one of them. From England, several operators regularly operate services from Dover, with ferries arriving in the northeast of France. In addition, for those who want to explore the Mediterranean, there are also regular ferries to Corsica from the ports of Nice, Toulon and Marseille.
