In 2010 the Monnaie de Paris released a very special Limited Issue Trains TGV 50 Fifty Euro Gold Proof Coin struck in solid .920 Gold and weighing one quarter of an ounce of pure Gold and the topic is Trains from France with the intention of highlighting the technical excellence of French trains as well as the regions of France and their heritage.
The Lille Europe railway station, with its extremely modern architecture, was first used on April 1994 when the Northern TGV line was launched.
It was on the principle of transparency that this station was designed to welcome Eurostar trains traveling through Lille, heading for or coming from Brussels, London and Paris.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.