The LGV Nord is a French 333 km-long high speed rail line that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille; it opened in 1993.
With a maximum speed of 300 km/h, the line has appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille. Its extensions to the north (Belgium, the Channel Tunnel) and the south (via the LGV Interconnexion Est) have reduced journey times to Great Britain and Benelux and for inter-regional trips between the Nord (Pas de Calais) region and the southeast and southwest of France.
Its route is twinned with the A1 for 130 km. As it is mostly built in flat areas, the maximum incline is 25 meters per kilometer.
Of all French high-speed lines the LGV Nord without a doubt sees the widest variety of high-speed rolling stock: the TGV Sud-Est, TGV Réseau, TGV Atlantique, TGV Duplex, Eurostar, Thalys PBA and PBKA as well as the local trains. Traffic is controlled by the Lille rail traffic centre.
