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After the world rail speed record of 380 km/h set by the TGV Paris Sud-Est trainset on 26 February 1981, 22 September 1981 was an important date in the history of the railways in France and Europe. On that day, the new Paris-Lyon high-speed line was officially inaugurated by the President of the French Republic, François Mitterrand. He boarded the inaugural high-speed train made up of two TGV trains (the world record-breaking "Lyon" train 16 and the " Tergnier" train 17) at Lyon-Brotteaux station, and even travelled in the cab between Maçon-Loché and Montchanin.
During his speech at Montchanin station, François Mitterrand paid tribute to the SNCF staff who had contributed to this project, and asked the SNCF to prepare the high-speed train plan (the TGV Atlantique) which would serve a large part of western France, from Brittany to the Atlantic coast. It is also asking the SNCF to resume preliminary studies for the link to the north of France and Belgium, and in the future to England if the Franco-British Channel Tunnel project comes to fruition. This is a revolution in the world of railways, a revolution that will extend far beyond the borders of France, with TGVs running at high speed on new dedicated lines and able to extend their journey on existing lines of the conventional rail network. The map of rail journey times has been redrawn.
A few days later, commercial TGV service opened on 27 September 1981 on the southern section of the new Paris-South-East TGV line between Sathonay (north of Lyon) and Saint-Florentin, making the Paris-Lyon route possible in 2 hours and 40 minutes at a maximum speed of 260 kph, with 13 round trips a day, 3 of which were extended to Saint-Etienne. Two daily TGV services between Paris and Geneva were also introduced.
It wasn't until October 1983 and the opening of the northern section of the new TGV Paris Sud-Est line between Saint-Florentin and Combs la Ville that journey times between Paris and Lyon reached a symbolic 2 hours, and the number of towns served by the TGV Sud-Est increased considerably.
Jouef's model of the TGV Paris Sud-Est trainset faithfully replicates the inaugural No. 17 trainset used to transport VIPs, with the flags affixed to the sides of the driver's cabs. The model benefits from the latest improvements, with attached windscreen wipers and intercirculation rings fitted with spring suspensions in keeping with the period.
NCF, 3-unit additional set of TGV Sud-Est 2nd class coaches, inauguarl version 1981, ep. IV
