@Conductor Earl posted:My wife and I rode around France a couple of times on the SNCF and the TGV. The interesting thing about the TGV is the lack of adequate luggage space. Everyone on the car piles their luggage in a small space at the end of the car, first come first serve. Great ride though and quick way to travel long distances. Some of the older stations are beautiful.
We rode the TGV to Nimes around 1990. Even going first class, it wasn't a great ride even with a sumptuous (and expensive) lunch served at our seats. Cramped seats and boring view on the HS part of the line. Day trip to Carcassone on a regular express train was a much more pleasant ride.
Best ride in France was Paris to Bayeux (Normandy beaches) in 2013. Ordinary fast intercity trains (most lines electrified) had a normal running speed of 200 kph (125 mph).
But that's not a legitimate comparison to the non-development of such lines in the US. Highway competition is nothing like our interstates, and France has the much higher population density necessary to support frequent HS service,
