Five years after its launch, over 100 million business and leisure travellers have used the high-speed service between Paris-Marseille (with stops at Avignon, Aix-en-Provence), Paris-Montpellier and Paris Toulon.

Nicknamed TGV Med, this train quickly won its passengers’ affection and participated in the economical development of the region. For the business traveler, these cities are accessible in a day’s travel thereby increasing business opportunities and opening up exchanges in a fast-moving, global economy.

Reduced journey times between the different cities explains the 75,000 daily passengers who travel on the TGV Méditerranée. Marseille and Paris, for example, are 3 hours apart, Lyon and Avignon are 1 hour apart and Lille, up in the north of France is only 5 hours away from Montpellier. In 2005, 2 million people went through Aix-en-Provence. The number of connections has increased alongside the number of passengers, for example, today there are 17 daily services between Marseille and Paris. Market share for the rail/air modes of transport have shifted considerably in favour of the train which now has 66% of the market.

Development plans for the TGV Méditerranée plan to link Northern and Southern Europe between 2009 and 2011. New high-speed lines between Figueras in Spain and Perpignan in France, between the Riviera and the Alps and the Rhine-Rhone line will facilitate access to the south of France for over 10 million passengers. Barcelona will be 2h15 from Montpellier and 3h45 from Marseille. With the new TGV Est EUROPEEN service, Mulhouse will be a mere 4h35 from Montpellier and Strasbourg only 5h from Marseille.