The LGV Rhône-Alpes, Sud-Est and Méditerranée, taken as a whole, were also nicknamed the City To Coast (C2C) Highway ("Ville à la Mer").

[citation needed] Following the creation of SNCF's research department in 1966, one of its primary endeavours was code-named "C03: Railways possibilities on new infrastructure (tracks)".

[6] One year later, the SNCF placed its initial production order with the rolling stock manufacturing group Alstom–Francorail–MTE for 87 TGV Sud-Est trainsets that would later run on the line.

As a result, domestic flights between Paris and Lyon declined substantially as the travelling public switched to using the TGV instead.

[3] The line crosses six departments, from north to south: The TGV system is compatible with the regular rail network, avoiding the need for new infrastructure construction to reach existing train stations in the dense urban areas of Paris and Lyon.

The catenary is fed by an inverted phase "feeder" cable, which is equivalent to a 50 kV supply and reinforces the available power, enabling a single trainset to draw up to 14 MW.

[11][12] The highest point on the line is 489 m (1,604 ft) above sea level, near the town of Liernais, 55.5 km (34.5 mi) north of Gare du Creusot.

LGV Sud-Est, akin to other early French high speed lines, was financed mainly by debt held by SNCF.

[14] The decision to proceed with these early LGVs, and the order in which they were constructed, was heavily influenced by evaluations of their profitability, not only in pure financial terms but also the estimated social benefits.

Maintenance and renewal work is typically performed at night wherever possible to impact a minimal amount of traffic.