During the Second World War, the Commercial Department comprised several divisions: Passenger Traffic, Coordination, Freight Traffic, as well as General Affairs and Advertising. It was responsible for designing, in liaison with other General Management bodies, the services to be offered to customers, and for helping to implement them.

When it was created, the Commercial Department thus brought together freight and passengers. In 1976, it was split into two entities: the Passenger Commercial Directorate (which became the Grandes Lignes Directorate in 1992) and the Freight Commercial Directorate (which became the Freight Directorate in 1991).

Contents

The Central Passenger Traffic Division.

This division was responsible for monitoring changes in passenger traffic and following up important matters, notably those relating to passenger pricing. The files inform readers about the fare changes of the time and how these fares were applied.

The Central (Transport) Coordination Division.

These archives consist of passenger transport plans for peacetime and periods of hostilities, covering most French départements.

The Freight Commercial Directorate

Communication materials

• The poster collection
• Brochures. These are advertising documents glued onto card sheets, originally filed in binders by the Commercial Department with an indication of the print run (freight commercial brochures, tourist brochures, advertising documents)