Paris–Lille railway

Paris–Lille railway
Paris–Lille railway
	The railway near Douai
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	RFF
Locale	France (Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France)
Termini	Gare du Nord, Paris; Gare de Lille-Flandres;
Service
System	SNCF
Operator(s)	SNCF
History
Opened	1846-1859
Technical
Line length	251 km (156 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC
Route map
Route map

The Paris–Lille railway is a 251-kilometre-long (156 mi) railway line, that connects the French capital, Paris, to the northern city of Lille. Branch lines offer connections to Belgium and Great Britain. Opened on 20 June 1846, it was one of the first railway lines in France. The opening of the parallel LGV Nord high speed line in 1993 has decreased its importance for long-distance passenger traffic.