Europe Euphoria

The German ICE train from Frankfurt and the French TGV train from Stuttgart zoomed out yesterday towards a milestone in the long hold dream of a Europe-wide high-speed rail web. The trains pulled into Paris 35 minutes late which was an embarrassment for the project partners, France’s SNCF and Deutsche Bahn AG of Germany. SNCF Chief Anne-Marie Idrac enthusiastically touted the new joint venture, called Alleo to brush off the delay. A high-speed line that will reach four countries: France, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg are scheduled to open next month and this journey was a symbolic step in its preparation. The new route will cut travel from Frankfurt to Paris to 31/2 hours from 6 hours, 15 minutes today running at speeds of up to 199 mph. Two high-speed axes that meet in Strasbourg, the other linking Hamburg, Frankfurt, Lyon and Barcelona are also planned. Eventually the contract would be signed by nine European railways. This venture is described as a way to help Europe compete against Japanese high-speed train developers. The line between Frankfurt and Strasbourg is the same one on which a TGV broke the world rail speed record last month, reaching 357.2 mph. Second class ticket on the train service will cost $133 for trips between Frankfurt and Paris and $127 for travel between Paris and Stuttgart.