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France to open fastest rail link | |
(about 8 hours later) | |
France is to inaugurate its fastest rail link to date that will see trains travelling at 320km/h (200mph). | France is to inaugurate its fastest rail link to date that will see trains travelling at 320km/h (200mph). |
The TGV-Est line will connect Paris with the eastern city of Strasbourg, cutting travel time from the current four hours to two hours, 20 minutes. | |
Passengers travelling further east to other EU states will also benefit after the launch of the link on 10 June. | Passengers travelling further east to other EU states will also benefit after the launch of the link on 10 June. |
Thursday's event will be marked with a grand light show staged along the 300km-long (185-mile) railway line. | |
"Some 37 million Europeans can be reached," said TGV-East director Alain Le Guellec, quoted by the French news agency AFP. | |
"A network of high-speed links is being put into place with the rest of Europe," he said. | "A network of high-speed links is being put into place with the rest of Europe," he said. |
The $5.3bn (4bn euros) project was launched in 2002, with dozens of financial partners - including the governments of France and Luxembourg - sharing the cost. | The $5.3bn (4bn euros) project was launched in 2002, with dozens of financial partners - including the governments of France and Luxembourg - sharing the cost. |
France's TGV trains - launched more than two decades ago - cover a network of 1,500km (930 miles) with an average speed of 300km/h (185mph). | France's TGV trains - launched more than two decades ago - cover a network of 1,500km (930 miles) with an average speed of 300km/h (185mph). |