Two Hours To Paris By Train

THIS TIME in 2010, people will be whizzing by train between London and Paris in less than two hours, if plans by new rivals to Eurostar come to fruition.

Air France have announced that they aim to branch out to rail travel when the Eurostar monopoly runs out in early 2010 and say they will bring in faster TGV-style trains, which will slash the journey time from 2 hours 15 minutes to about 1 hour 55 minutes.

Virgin, already big in rail travel in the UK, and German giants Deutsche Bahn also plan to enter the cross-channel market in 2010, with more European cities likely to be reachable by direct services.

Eurostar, which has seen a big rise in passenger numbers in recent years, was quick to sound a crie de guerre.

“It’s no surprise that airlines, hit by high oil prices and congested airports, are trying to turn themselves into train operators,” said a Eurostar spokesperson. “We will continue to compete with them whether they use wings or wheels.”