TGV Humor

The Snail Logo

In September 2000 a new logo for the TGV service was introduced, replacing the old blocky TGV logo that had been in use, in various forms, since the beginning. The new logo was immediately derided in the French media because if you flip it upside down it looks like a snail, not quite the speedy symbol one would want to associate with the new TGV slogan, "Prenez le temps d'aller vite", or "Take the time to go fast." So much for highly paid branding consultants...

Another variation on this theme is shown below, created by an unknown artist. In a reference to frequent strikes that plague the French rail system, the logo stumbles on the French word "Greve" and transforms into the snail. To view the animation again, reload this page. Speed Limit 800 km/h All French locomotives have a label inside each driving cab, indicating the identity of the locomotive and its maximum speed. In TGV Atlantique power car 24049, famous for holding the world speed record of 515.3 km/h, someone scribbled on the usual label "Vitesse Limite 300 km/h" so that it reads... Photo from alt.binaries.pictures.rail TGVweb > More Resources > TGV Humor Back to Top