Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français
SNCF, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, is the French national railway company. It was created on January 1, 1938. It uses the IATA designator 2C in relation to journeys codeshared by airlines.
SNCF operates almost all of France's railway system, including the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally "high-speed train").
In the past, SNCF owned not only the trains, but also the tracks. Starting from 1997, the tracks belong to a separate government establishment, Réseau Ferré de France. This may, in the future, lead to several companies proposing services on the same network.
SNCF codeshares with American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, US Airways, and Emirates and in exchange, allows passengers on those flights to book rail service between Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Roissy (near Paris) and Angers, Avignon, Bordeaux, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nimes, Poiters, Rennes, Tours, and Valence with their airline.
See also: Transportation in France, List of French companies, French railway history.