André Chadeau was appointed chairman in 1981 and served for four years. During that time, he presided over launch of the first TGV service between Paris and Lyon, and inaugurated the new Lyon Part-Dieu station. Work also began on the TGV Atlantique, a new high-speed service linking Paris to the Atlantic Coast. And in a major change for the entire company, SNCF became an EPIC—a state-owned public service company with a commercial & industrial mission.