What does the abbreviation TGV stand for in French high-speed rail?

TGV stands for “Train à Grande Vitesse,” which means “high-speed train” in French.

The abbreviation became associated with France’s high-speed rail system, whose first public service began in 1981. TGV trains were designed to run quickly on dedicated high-speed lines while also using existing tracks to reach city centres. That combination became an important feature of the French model and influenced high-speed rail planning elsewhere.

The phrase is sometimes translated loosely as “very high-speed train,” but the standard expansion is “Train à Grande Vitesse.” TGV can refer both to the train technology and, in everyday usage, to the branded service family. It is not the name of a single train model: multiple generations and related trainsets have operated under the TGV identity.