EU-DIGEST

Booming in Europe, high-speed rail sees delays in US

In November the Eurostar bullet-train blew the doors off commuter rail travel, sprinting the 213 miles (343 kilometers) from London to Paris in two hours 15 minutes -- and leaving tortoise-slow US trains in the dust. Over a similar distance -- Washington to New York -- America's lone high-speed train, the Acela Express, takes a full 45 minutes longer.Europe and Asia's impressive advances in train travel -- commercial bullet-trains there routinely hit 200 mph (320 kph) -- have begun to shine a glaring spotlight on the world's wealthiest nation. For decades US passenger trains have played poor cousin to planes and automobiles -- the twin towers of American transport."We are the only advanced country in the world that doesn't have high-speed rail," Democratic US presidential candidate Barack Obama has said.

Last year in France an experimental train gave travelers an eye-popping glimpse of the future when it set a speed record of 357 mph (571 kph). Another dozen countries have projects planned including Iran, which is considering buying Germany's magnetic levitation train that can top 280 mph (448 kph).

Labels: EU, TGV, Trains, US

Trains-Eurostar: getting the best deals

First, the good news. Competition from no-frills airlines means that the cheapest return tickets on Eurostar are now even lower than they were when the service first launched in 1994. Then you had to pay euro 127 on the London-Paris route. Now that fare has dropped to euro 78, only a couple of euros more than the old boat train used to cost. The less good news is that you may have to plan several months ahead, or be very flexible about when you travel, to make sure you get a return at such a good price.

Labels: EU, Eurostar, Trains

Skiing by train with Rail Europe

To get the most time on the ski slopes - after enjoying a hassle-free journey that's greener than going by air - why not travel by train this year? Many overnight trains take you right to the heart of your ski resort, delivering you to the slopes as the lifts open - with no irksome transfers eating into your snow-time. Whether you're a beginner or old hand, a skier or boarder, with your mates or the family, going by train is the smart option. There's ample luggage room, a choice of accommodation to suit any budget and a good selection of arrival times to choose from. Of course, you can enjoy a spectacular view all the way there, and there's no two-hour check-in to annoy you either.

Labels: EU, TGV, Trains

Biogas-Powered Train in Sweden -by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau

The city of Linkoeping in Sweden (south of Stockholm) will be linked to the city of Västervik 80 kilometers away (50 miles) by the first train to run entirely on biogas that comes from organic waste. A small one-carriage train that can carry 54 passengers has been converted: its diesel engines have been replaced by two Volvo gas engines. "The train is equipped with eleven canisters containing enough gas to run for 600 kilometers (375 miles) before needing a refill, and can reach a maximum speed of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour".

Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Sweden, Trains

Morocco to sign high-speed rail link deal with France

France and Morocco are to sign a deal on Monday for the construction of a high-speed rail link between the cities of Tangiers and Marrakech, sources and media reports said. The agreement is to be sealed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his visit to the north African kingdom, several sources told AFP on Friday. French magazine L'Express reported on its website that the trains, to be built by French engineering group Alstom, the maker of the French high-speed TGV train, will run for 500 kilometres (311 miles) between Tangiers in the north and Marrakech in the south.

The line, to be operational between 2012 and 2015, is to pass by the capital Rabat or Casablanca.

Labels: France, Morocco, TGV, Trains

Europe-wide high-speed rail advances as German train comes to Paris

Two high-speed trains designed to cut travel time between Frankfurt and Paris almost in half as part of a Europe-wide high-speed rail network made their first journey on Friday. The French-German cooperation, however, is billed as the beginning of a Barcelona to Budapest high-speed dream that has been taking shape in Europe for years. For now, the new, fast train routes will affect four countries. France's newest high-speed line, the TGV East, opens June 10 with service to cities in Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

A typical second-class ticket on the train service will cost €99 (US$133) for trips between Frankfurt and Paris and €95 (US$127) for travel between Paris and Stuttgart. A standard Air France economy class ticket from Paris to Frankfurt costs about €200 (US$268) round trip, or €498 (US$669) one-way.

Labels: EU, Trains

Europe's trains get speedier - by Cindy Loose

Europe is vastly expanding it network of high-speed trains. Four new routes will open this year: France's new TGV East line on June 10 will begin providing service between 20 French cities and 10 destinations in Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Trains on the new line will travel at 199 mph, cutting travel time by a third or more. For example, a trip from Paris to Reims now takes 1 hour, 35 minutes. As of June 10: 45 minutes. From Paris to Frankfurt, Germany: less than 4 hours, down from the current 6. Costs range widely. For example, Paris-to-Reims costs between $25 and $75 each way.

Netherlands will open service on its new Zuid (South) high-speed line by the end of this year, although the train won't meet its final goal until next year: Brussels to Amsterdam in 1 1/2 hours. Currently, conventional trains take 3 hours.

Labels: Europe, TGV, Trains

U.S. lawmaker says France's bullet train has reinforced her belief California needs high-speed rail

A California lawmaker who rode on France's new bullet train at a record 357 mph ( 574.8 kph) said the experience has reinforced her conviction that California needs to develop high-speed rail.

"It felt like we were ready to take off on the runway in a plane," the San Francisco Democrat said in a telephone interview from France. "That steady acceleration ... feeling and force."

Ma is part of a delegation of a half dozen lawmakers who are in France this week, in part to examine the French high-speed rail system as California considers building a 700-mile (1120-kilometer) system of its own to carry passengers at speeds of more than 200 mph (322 kph).

Labels: California, France, TGV, Trains, US

France celebrates train's new speed record in Champagne

A French TGV train broke a world speed record on Tuesday as it hurtled down a newly built track at 357 miles per hour (574.8 kilometers per hour) in the country's Champagne region.The event run was broadcast live on television in France and Germany. The total record operation cost $40 million (30 million euros), shared by the three partners.

High-speed trains in France, as well as rail links to London, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam, are competing with plane travel, and several French regional airlines have gone out of business since the TGV started in 1981.

Labels: EU, France, Recod Breaking, TGV, Trains

Engineers Consider Europe-Africa Train - Danie Woolls

TARIFA, Spain — Engineers have dreamt of it for a quarter-century: linking Europe and Africa at the spot where the two very different worlds gaze at each other across a strip of choppy water. Now, after seemingly endless studies that turned up more than one nasty geological surprise, a project for a high-speed rail tunnel connecting the continents is gathering momentum, raising the prospect of an engineering marvel on par with the Panama Canal or the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France.

Labels: Africa, EU, Trains, Tunnel

France's fast train to try to break speed record

One of France's famed fast trains will try to break the world speed record on rails Tuesday, officials said.

The train, made up of three double-decker cars between two engines, will whiz down a stretch of a new line linking Paris to eastern France, starting the journey from the French capital. It will try to break the 1990 rail record, also held by a French train, of 515.3 kph (320.2 mph).

Labels: EU, France, Record, TGV, Trains