18/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) issued a loan, in late October, of EUR 200 million to the Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) for the purchase of 22 "Duplex" (double-level) wagons that will be used to absorb the sharp increase in traffic on the high-speed network. The project represents the first phase of an investment programme intended to strengthen the SNCF's TGV fleet.