9. French Railroads

The French Railroads meet all the requirements of their economy. They constantly renew their techniques and equipment. The ballast usually consists of broken stone or slag. They have very few bad curves and on the main lines not many hard grades.

The first steps toward higher speeds for service trains in Europe were taken in May 1967 when France introduced its first super-train between Paris and Toulouse. France holds the Europe’s speed record of 325 km/h (1955 ). Since Paris lies in the centre of the country, the passengers who spend a day in Paris can reach any town the same evening.

Paris – Lyon route is one of the most important commercial arteries in France. It connects two large areas of population and industry. The French Railroads are therefore proposing to build a new line between these cities for passenger services only.

The route will be laid out with a minimum curve radius of 3,200 metres. And the line will be some 40 km shorter than the existing route via Dijon.

10. The Railways of Great Britain

The British Railways with their combination of speed and comfort provide a passenger service of a high quality. The maximum speeds are lower than the speeds over certain first class routes in France and Japan, but average speeds are higher on British Railways. 100 miles/h is regularly attained over many routes.

The density of traffic is very high. The running is all left – hand operation. All British Railways are operated by the government. The high speed trains will prepare the way for the introduction of the advanced passenger train ( APT ).

This streamline electric train is British hope for future. It will operate at 125 mile/h but is designed for speeds of 150 mile/h and more. Higher speeds make higher demands upon the track, and British Rail is paying constant attention to its stability and general efficiency.

British Rail and its European partners are already planning the new rail services. An hourly service of high speed trains will link London with Paris and Brussels. Through trains will run beyond London to major towns and cities.

11. The Channel Tunnel

British Rail and its European partners are already planning the new rail services which will be introduced when the Channel Tunnel opens. An hourly service of high speed trains will link London with Paris and Brussels. Journey times of under 3h for London – Paris and 2 3/4h for London – Brussels are anticipated. Through trains will run beyond London to major towns and cities.

The long history of the Channel Tunnel began in 1802 when a French engineer Albert Mathiew prepared a scheme of a tunnel to link France and England. This tunnel had been built the communication between these two countries could have been facilitated. But the plan had a short life for the war between England and France began in 1803. The English people were glad that there was not direct link with France.

In the course of time several projects of the Channel Tunnel were proposed. One of them was placed before the British and the French Government in the 1950’s.

A new plan proposed recently provides a high – speed twin rail link with shuttle trains. The tunnel will carry over 4,000 vehicles an hour in each direction.