History
The SNCF was formed in 1938 with the nationalisation of France's five main railway companies (Chemin de Fer in English means railway, literally, 'path of iron'). These were the:
- Chemin de Fer de l'Est (Eastern Railway)
- Chemin de Fer de l'État (State Railway) (formed in 1909 from the merger of the Chemin de Fer de l'État and the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest)
- Chemin de Fer du Nord (Northern Railway)
- Chemin de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM) (Paris, Lyon and Mediterranean Railway)
- Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi (Paris, Orléans, and Central Railway) (PO-Midi, formed in 1934 from the merger of the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans and the Chemin de Fer du Midi)
The French state originally took 51% ownership of the SNCF and invested large amounts of public subsidies into the system. Today, the SNCF is 100% owned by the French government.
Read more about this topic: SNCF
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