The flagship of French technology, the TGV, inaugurated in 1981, is now part of our lives. High speed allows express travel according to the 4 cardinal points: Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and Rennes are today only a few hours from Paris. Here are the 1972 images of the prototype of this new train, the inauguration of the Paris-Le Creusot section by François Mitterrand in 1981 and the testimony of users.