According to legend, the first TGV driver had a son named Patrick. It was in his honor and in order to better distinguish the different trainsets being tested in French factories, that the first high-speed train carrying passengers was named after him.
Patrick, the 01 train, left Alstom's warehouses in Belfort in July 1978. It rolled for the first time on September 1 on the Paris Sud-Est line, just completed. In 40 years of service, it will travel 13 million and 478,014 km, or 337 times around the world.
Launched at 260 km / h at its inception, its performance will continue to grow until it reaches a speed of 300 km / h. Patrick, symbolized the abandonment of gas turbines by the SNCF in favor of the electric. In tribute, the railroad workers have reserved a farewell tour for the technicenters throughout the month of February.