Europe’s trains pick up speed

2007 was a good year for Europe’s high-speed train operators. Not only did the London-Paris Eurostar route benefit greatly from its move to St. Pancras station in London, cutting down the time it takes to reach the French capital to 2 hours and 15 minutes; but many continental routes are popping up at a pace to match the trains themselves.

The SNCF in France has also opened a new line to Eastern France, which significantly speeds up travel times. The line from Paris continues on to Belgium and the Netherlands, where their own high-speed tracks that have been in construction for the last few years are nearing completion.

With the trains getting quicker and EU borders getting looser, pan-European travel is fast becoming a reality. Guillaume Pepy is the chief executive of the SNCF as well as that of Eurostar, and he finds these new developments are getting close to an approximation of his dream. He says, “The idea of a European network of high-speed rail is at last being realized. It will be a real alternative to air travel.”

With the current proliferation of budget air carriers, the rail industry must provide a worthy alternative; and with international high-speed trains, they just may give the airlines a run for their money.

www.eurostar.com