Today, the TGV network covers cities in the South, West and North-East of France. Some neighboring countries, including Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, have built their own TGV lines and connected them to the French network. Germany and the Netherlands have a similar and TGV — compatible Thalys railway network, while the UK has Eurostar. It is planned to build new lines in France and neighboring countries.

TGV trains can travel at speeds of up to 320 km / h — this was made possible by the construction of special railway lines without small curve radii. Trains are equipped with powerful traction engines, articulated cars, lightweight bogies, and automatic locomotive signalling (ALS) devices, which means that the driver does not need to look out for traffic lights at high speeds. TGV trains are manufactured by Alstom, using separate Bombardier units. With the exception of the small TGV series used for mail service between Paris and Lyon, the TGV is used for passenger transport. Systems similar to TGV are in operation in South Korea (KTX), Spain (AVE), and the United States (Acela).

The TGV is a fairly safe mode of transport: no fatalities have been recorded as a result of accidents on high-speed lines (with the exception of a collision with a truck in 1988