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ALL ABOARD AS HIGH-SPEED RAIL BOOMS
Deutsche Bahn is set to challenge Eurostar’s cross-channel monopoly, announcing plans for direct high-speed rail services from London to Amsterdam and Frankfurt. From December 2016, the German national rail company hopes to run its Intercity Express (ICE) bullet-trains from London’s St Pancras International station to Brussels, where the 16-carriage trains will split, with half continuing to Amsterdam via Rotterdam and the other half heading to Frankfurt via Cologne.
The high-speed train, which can reach 320kph, will run three times a day in each direction, cutting travel times from London to the Dutch capital to just four hours, and reach Frankfurt in less than five hours. The competition could also mean lower fares for cross-channel passengers with a one-way trip to Germany from as little as £39 to £49. South-East Asia is also getting in on the rail boom. A new rail service promises to link Singapore with the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in just 90 minutes, compared with five hours by road and seven hours via existing rail services. If it goes ahead, the rail service is not is not due to be completed until 2020. Neighbouring Thailand has approved plans to invest US$68 billion into the country’s rail network as part of a seven-year scheme. The plan includes high-speed connections between Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang Mai, cutting travel times from 12 to four hours, as well as links to the Malaysian and Laotian borders.
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