France embarked on high-speed rail travel almost 40 years ago. Today it carries more passengers by far on its high-speed trains than any other European country. Regarded as something of a niche activity initially, high-speed rail has become a national priority in France as evidenced by its 1 900-km network of high-speed lines (LGV). The lines currently under construction will bring this total to 2 600 by 2017.