History of rail transport in France

The history of rail transport in France dates from the first French railway in 1832 to nowadays enterprises such as the AGV.

During the 19th century, railway construction began in France with short mineral lines. The building of the main French railway system did not begin until 1842, after government has legalized railways.

French railways started later and developed more slowly than those in certain other countries. While the first railway built in France started operation in 1832, not further after the first line had opened in Britain, French progress failed to keep pace over the next decade. Thus France quickly fell behind Germany, Belgium and Switzerland in terms of track age per person. The rapid growth in the United States and in the United Kingdom also seriously outdistanced that in France. Circumstances did not favor to start as early and as successful as Britain's, because Britain generally had a higher level of industrialization. Other more comparable nations, such as Belgium, embarked on large railway-building projects soon after the technology appeared. France also suffered from the handicap of the destruction and turbulence of the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent process of rebuilding, which also hindered the development of railways. It took a full decade to begin railway construction on a national scale.

France's history and level of development almost certainly account for this delay. France's economy in 1832 had not developed sufficiently to support a national railway network. The limited iron industry for many years forced French railways to import many of their rails from England at great cost. French coal supplies also remained under-developed compared to those in England and Belgium. Until these complementary industries developed, French railways were at an economic disadvantage compared to those of other states.

Another obstacle to French railway development was the powerful opposition to the changes that railways would bring. Unlike Russia or Germany, which had no well-developed canal systems, France had a great deal of capital invested in water-borne transport. These interests saw the railways as dangerous competition. The origins of this opposition stem from France's geography. France was naturally endowed with many navigable waterways, and also with much terrain suitable for the construction of canals. Much of France also lies not far from the coast, and coastal shipping successfully and cheaply carried much trade.

In France, existing interests combined with popular worries about the introduction of railways, especially concerning their safety. While those in opposition to railway development certainly remained a minority, their presence was larger in France than in most other industrializing nations. Since French rail development depended on governmental initiatives, French opponents had a clearer target to oppose than in countries where completely private companies constructed new railways.

The French rail system could not develop successfully without the involvement of the state. Unlike Great Britain or the United States, France had no large substantial industrial base willing to pay for railways to bring its products to new markets.