express train
An express train is a type of passenger train that makes few or no stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, providing faster service than local trains that stop at many or all of the stations along their ...
that linked
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
), and was initially a '' Rapide''.
The train's name, ''L'Étendard'' (literally, "The Standard") is the French word for "
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...
", and commonly refers to military banners, as carried on parades and into battle.
From 1971 to 1984, the ''Étendard'' was a first-class-only
Trans Europ Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...
(TEE), and between 1973 and 1975, the southbound service was an international train linking Paris with Spain. It reverted to being a two-class ''Rapide'' in June 1984"Summer services, 1984" (changes taking effect). ''
Thomas Cook Continental Timetable
The ''European Rail Timetable'', more commonly known by its former names, the ''Thomas Cook European Timetable'', the ''Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' or simply ''Cook's Timetable'', is an international Public transport timetable, timetab ...
'' (May 1–June 2, 1984 edition), p. 64; also pp. 132–133, 493–494. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing. and was discontinued entirely with the introduction of
TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
. The train normally ran daily except Sundays southbound and daily except Saturdays northbound.
Variation
Starting in 1973, the ''Étendard''s southbound route was extended along the Bordeaux–Irun railway line to terminate in
Irun
Irun (, ) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain.
History
It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as a Roman- Vasconic town.
During the Spanish Civil War, ...
, Spain, and its northbound route was extended to start in
The ''Étendard'' was usually hauled by one of SNCF's 1.5 kVDC, Class CC 6500 electric locomotives. A headboard bearing the name of the train was attached to the front of the locomotive, a practice also applied to those locomotives when they were hauling the ''
'' and '' Le Capitole''.Nock, O.S. (1978). "The Aquitaine: pioneer of electric power", in ''World Atlas of Railways'', pp. 120–121. New York: Mayflower Books (original publisher: Artists House, London, UK). .
When the ''Étendard'' became a TEE in 1971, its formation of rolling stock was a
rake
Rake may refer to:
Common meanings
* Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines
* Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct
* Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game
...
of SNCF , being an A4Dtux, three A8tu, six A8u, one A3rtu and one Vru. The coaches were painted in a distinctive red, orange, light grey and slate grey livery.
On 3 June 1973, to enable the train to run at speeds of up to , the formation was shortened to ten coaches, namely one A4Dtux, two A8tu, five A8u, one A3rtu, and one Vru.
Throughout the ''Étendard''s existence, its
dining car
A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a passenger railroad car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant.
These cars provide the highest level of service of any rai ...
was staffed by the ''
Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits
(; ) is a Belgian-founded French company known for providing and operating luxury trains with sleeping car, sleepers and dining cars during the late 19th and the 20th centuries, most notably the ''Orient Express''. Founded by Georges Nagelmacker ...
'' (CIWL).
See also
*
History of rail transport in France
Rail transport in France dates from the first French railway in 1823 to present-day enterprises such as the AGV.
Beginnings
France was slow in building railways, compared to Britain and Belgium, which had already demonstrated their value by 18 ...
*
List of named passenger trains of Europe
This article contains lists of named passenger trains in Europe, listed by country. Listing by country does eliminate some EuroCity services from the list, but they are listed on the relevant EuroCity page for daytime trains and the EuroNight p ...
*
TGV Atlantique
The TGV Atlantique (TGV-A) is a class of high-speed trains used in France by SNCF; they were built by Alstom between 1988 and 1992, and were the second generation of TGV trains, following on from the TGV Sud-Est trainsets. The trains were named ...