What does the French abbreviation 'LGV', used for France's dedicated high-speed lines, stand for?

The French abbreviation LGV stands for Ligne à Grande Vitesse, meaning “high-speed line.”

In France, LGV is used for purpose-built railway lines designed for high-speed services, especially TGV trains. The phrase literally combines ligne, meaning “line,” à grande vitesse, meaning “at high speed.” The plural form is lignes à grande vitesse, but the singular expansion is the standard answer to this question.

France’s first dedicated high-speed line, LGV Sud-Est, opened in stages between 1981 and 1983 between the Paris and Lyon areas. It helped establish the TGV as a major alternative to domestic air travel and formed the foundation of France’s expanding high-speed network.

LGV describes infrastructure, not a particular train model. TGV is the train service and train family, while LGV refers to the railway line. That distinction explains why terms such as LGV Nord, LGV Est, and LGV Méditerranée identify different routes rather than different types of train.