High-Speed rail : the European network - Page 11

Trainman Dave · #**201** Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 2:45 PM**

It does now:

ICE 9558 leaves Frankfurt at 6:34 and arrives Paris at 10:41
ICE 9559 leaves Paris at 18:54 and arrives Frankfurt at 22:58

This service is via Saarbrucken

I also found two Stuttgart to Paris TGV services. 3:39
They showed more connections however by the Stuttgart - Koln - Paris routeing !!! 6:14

one very bored guy · #**202** Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 4:01 PM**

^^^ thanks, but that's still not the 3hr 50min as shown in the article, nor the 3hr 30minutes as advertised at Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof.

In fact, it's only 10minutes faster than the previous fastest train which I could get as long as 5years ago.

Something is really smelling fishy here.

Trainman Dave · #**203** Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 4:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by one very bored guy

^^^ thanks, but that's still not the 3hr 50min as shown in the article, nor the 3hr 30minutes as advertised at Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof.

In fact, it's only 10minutes faster than the previous fastest train which I could get as long as 5years ago.

Something is really smelling fishy here.

I don't really expect to see any real speed up until there are five daily trains at the December time table change. I have noticed that all new projects like this need a few months to develope their potential. In Germany at the moment, they may be using the old EC train paths!

Grumpy · #**204** Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 7:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by one very bored guy

Does anyone know if this new addition is complete yet? And if they are also rennovating the actual train sheds (which from memory were rather decayed and rusty)

On a picture in the latest issue of "Ville et Transports" the new addition is completed.
I cannot give you information about the renovated sheds, sorry.
The latest I know of are pictures in a "RailPassion" special about the Alsace region (2006) were there was nothing mentioned about this.

Grumpy · #**205** Posted **Jun 12, 2007, 8:37 PM**

Picture gallery of the LGV Rhin/Rhone (U/C at the moment)

http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/mediatheque.php?type=3

Grumpy · #**206** Posted **Jun 13, 2007, 5:53 PM**

Basel SBB , 09.06.07

Grumpy · #**207** Posted **Jun 15, 2007, 9:08 AM**

Opening next weekend : the Lötschbergtunnel in la Suisse:

more info in english : http://www.blsalptransit.ch/en/frameset_e.htm

Grumpy · #**208** Posted **Jun 22, 2007, 12:48 PM**

Who has pictures of the recently opened Betuwelijn in the Netherlands ?

Grumpy · #**209** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 9:38 AM**

Seems I am the only one to be interest in this thread.....

I have a question :why is La Défense not connected with the HS-network in France?

Fabb · #**210** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 10:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Seems I am the only one to be interest in this thread.....

I have a question :why is La Défense not connected with the HS-network in France?

I remember an old project of a TGV station in La Défense. It was supposed to be part of a link between Paris and Normandy. I seriously doubt that it will become a reality.

Another possibility that was envisioned left me even more skeptical. TGV's were supposed to use the Eole line to cross under Paris between La Défense and the eastern network.

The Eole line won't reach La Défense for another several years anyway, so, I guess this is still science fiction. In a while, the idea will probably be rejected as preposterous.

Fabb · #**211** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 6:43 PM**

Rail rivals race for success on high-speed line

By Robert Wright
Updated: 8:41 p.m. ET June 8, 2007

Europe's high-speed rail network will take a huge step towards becoming truly international on Sunday when the first scheduled trains leave Paris for Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland via a new, 300km-long dedicated high-speed line.

The new line, the LGV Est, will cut the journey time between Paris and Strasbourg by an hour and 40 minutes to two hours 20 minutes, shorten journey times to neighbouring countries and be the longest and most significant of six new rail lines designed for speeds of 250kph (155mph) and above opening across Europe this year.

Yet the event has contrasting implications for European unity. The LGV Est and several of the other new lines will open up fast international rail travel in Europe, transforming the continent's high-speed track network from a series of mainly domestic lines into one carrying significant numbers across borders. SNCF, France's national train operator, and Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national operator, will co-operate to provide services on the line.
Story continues below ↓advertisement

"For the first time, Europe's railways are combining forces," Deutsche Bahn says.

However, the LGV Est will also provide a fresh battleground for Franco-German train rivalry. The line will be the first where potential buyers can see SNCF's TGV, built by France's Alstom, run regularly on the same track as Deutsche Bahn's ICE3, built by Germany's Siemens.

Champions of both technologies are excited about the effect on a feud so bitter it is reminiscent of the commercial aircraft rivalry between Boeing and Airbus.

BoeingAirbusFrançois Lacôte, technical director of Alstom Transport and a former technical director of SNCF, boasts that the new line – where trains will run at a maximum 320kph (199mph) for the first time in Europe – will show the TGV's all-round superiority.

"I hope you'll have energy meters on every high-speed train – to have the real proof that ICE3 consumes more energy than the TGV," he crows.

Senior managers at Siemens, meanwhile, deride the TGV, first brought into service in 1981, as 30-year-old technology. They claim the ICE3, introduced in 1999, offers better acceleration because its motors are spread along the train under the floors, not concentrated in power cars at either end as on the TGV.

They question why SNCF and Alstom earlier this year chose to set a new world rail speed record of 574.8kph with a heavily modified, shortened TGV during a test-run on the LGV Est in May.

Friedrich Smaxwil, a member of Siemens' executive board, suggests the attempt reflects Alstom's struggle to win export orders. "France didn't sell any high-speed trains in the last year outside France," he says.

Alstom has previously sold TGV-type trains to South Korea and Spain, while Siemens has recently had successes in Russia and Spain.

Mr Lacôte says the most important arena for future competition could be China, whose high-speed rail market is rapidly expanding.

New export orders for Alstom would certainly be welcome news for SNCF and Réseau Ferré de France, France's national rail infrastructure company, which is relying on high-speed rail's wider economic benefits – including French exports and regeneration along the line – to justify the LGV Est's €5.5bn ($7.4bn, £3.7bn) cost, which has been mainly funded by French taxpayers.

Alain le Guellec, SNCF's director for the project, says he expects it to be a technical success but concedes profits may be more elusive.
Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabb · #**212** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 6:44 PM**

Alstom to Supply 80 Double Decker Very High Speed Trains to SNCF for a Total of €2.1 Billion

LEVALLOIS PERRET, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

The SNCF (France’s national railway company) has ordered 80 double decker very high speed trains from Alstom (Paris:ALO) for a total of €2.1 billion. A conditional option of 40 additional train sets can be added to the order, which would eventually increase its value to €3.1 billion. First deliveries are scheduled for 2009.

This event marks the introduction of new double decker stock whose design fulfils the new requirements for interoperability, comfort and overall purchase and operational cost. Intended to operate at speeds of up to 320kph on the French, German, Swiss and Luxembourg networks, the trains will be fitted with signalling equipment which is compatible with all European networks and also with traction equipment adapted to the different currents of the countries through which they will travel.

In terms of comfort, the accent has been placed on accessibility for people with reduced mobility. Over 10% of the trains’ total capacity (509 seats) will be reserved for these passengers, with 52 specially designed seats. The wheelchair user areas will be larger and corridor width will favour ease of getting around.

Derived from the TGVTM Duplex, the new trains will benefit from a proven architecture and a large number of shared features, enabling development, manufacturing and operating costs to be reduced, particularly in terms of maintenance.

Alstom has manufactured 70% of the trains which currently operate at over 300kph worldwide. The company’s very high speed activity is constantly developing, thanks to its unrivalled experience and technological lead. Since the launch of the first TGVTM in 1981, 640 very high speed trains have been sold throughout the world. They have covered over 2.5 billion kilometres (6,500 times the distance between the earth and the moon), carried 1.5 billion passengers, have passed from a commercial speed of 260kph to 320kph, and have three world rail speed records to their name: 380 kph in 1981, 515.3 kph in 1990 and 574.8 kph in 2007.

Swede · #**213** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 8:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabb

By Robert Wright
[...]and be the longest and most significant of six new rail lines designed for speeds of 250kph (155mph) and above opening across Europe this year.[...]

Which are the other five? anyone know?

Trainman Dave · #**214** Posted **Jun 27, 2007, 8:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swede

Which are the other five? anyone know?

I expect that they will include:

Cordoba to Malaga (might count as two sections)
Ebbsfleet to St Pancras
Antwerp to Amsterdam via Rotterdam ( might count as two sections?)
Milan to Bologna
Tarragona to Barcelona

Grumpy · #**215** Posted **Jul 2, 2007, 5:00 PM**

Railteam will make travel across the European rail network as seamless as possible.

It is a cooperation between Europe’s leading high-speed rail operators, currently DB (Germany), SNCF (France), Eurostar (UK, France and Belgium), NS Hispeed (Netherlands), ÖBB (Austria), SBB (Switzerland) and SNCB (Belgium), as well as two of their high-speed subsidiaries Thalys and Lyria, with the possibility of more train operators joining in the future.

Rediscover Europe with the Railteam network. From Paris to Berlin, London to Vienna, choose among a wide selection of destinations in Europe...Brussels, Zürich or Frankfurt… Whether you are after a bustling break or a sleepy sojourn, you'll find the perfect city on the Railteam network.

What are the customers’ benefits today?

At the five main Railteam hubs Brussels Midi, Lille Europe, Stuttgart, Cologne and Frankfurt – more to follow at a later stage – and on major stations, multilingual staff and information points will be at the disposal of international travellers in order to guide them and make their connections as simple as possible.

* Onboard crew from all partners will also be able to answer your questions in connection with your international travel.
* If you miss your connection because your Railteam train is running late you can simply “hop on the next available train”.
* Holders of a 1st class General Season ticket in addition will profit from free entrance to the lounges of all Railteam member railways and from special conditions when renting a car at the travel destination within the Railteam network.

What are the customers’ benefits in the future?

* Customers will be able to book any Railteam journey through any partner point of sale at the best price.
* Customers of Railteam will also be able to exchange, modify or cancel their ticket by contacting any of the Railteam partners, whichever country they are travelling in.