[Grumpy]

Let use this thread for the several High-Speed-Train network extensions throughout Europe.

Amsterdam - Belgian border:
http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/uk/Images/nl%2Ewitmedium2_tcm112-11294.jpg

Paris - Baudrécourt:
http://www.lgv-est.com/trace-tgv-est.php

travelling time from Paris to several destinations:
http://www.sterlingot.com/TGV/temps-tgv-est.jpg

[Grumpy]

I would like to know how the German and French network is going to be connected in the future.
Next year when the TGV-Est line is open to Baudrécourt trains are going to run from Paris to Munich/Frankfurt and vice versa.

Are there plans to cross the river Rhine near Strasbourg and what about Baudrécourt towards Frankfurt ?
A new line along Saarbruecken/Kaiserslautern to Mannheim or another solution ?

[Fabb]

Let use this thread for the several High-Speed-Train network extensions throughout Europe.

Amsterdam - Belgian border:
http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/uk/Images/nl%2Ewitmedium2_tcm112-11294.jpg


Will this line open next year ? I've heard contradicting news.

[Grumpy]

Will this line open next year ? I've heard contradicting news.

Fully in service on April 1st 2007 (no joke)

but : Thalys service will use the regular lines until december 2007 + the HSA trains by Ansaldobreda to ride on the new line are scheduled by the end of 2008

[AJW]

Fully in service on April 1st 2007 (no joke)


It will be in service from the 1st of June 2007 according to the HSL website (http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/Nieuws/persberichten/2006/10oktober/hersteldiepwandentunnelrotterdamleidttotvertraging.jsp#0).

[Fabb]

but : Thalys service will use the regular lines until december 2007

That's very disappointing... and I can't think of a good reason for the delay. So, what kind of trains will use the line at the beginning ?

[Swede]

One thing i'd like to see is a highspeed line to Copenhagen (from Germany). connecting by way of the proposed/agreed upon Fehmarn Belt bridge/tunnel (connecting Fehmarn & Lolland), basically a straight line from Hamburg to Copenhagen (thru Lübeck).
Having real highspeed rail all the way to Stockholm would be cool, but is just unrealistic. Too far for one city of 1.8M (metro).

[Grumpy]

It will be in service from the 1st of June 2007 according to the HSL website (http://www.hslzuid.nl/hsl/Nieuws/persberichten/2006/10oktober/hersteldiepwandentunnelrotterdamleidttotvertraging.jsp#0).

Correct , my appologies for giving wrong information :doh:

[CHapp]

:previous: Eh guys, April 1 or June 1 in the same year, that's just a difference of a couple of months. No big deal! :)

[AJW]

^Yeah, it's no biggie.

Big projects like this get delayed all the time. I would actually be surprised if they made it the 1st of June. It'll probably get delayed some more.

[Grumpy]

One thing i'd like to see is a highspeed line to Copenhagen (from Germany). connecting by way of the proposed/agreed upon Fehmarn Belt bridge/tunnel (connecting Fehmarn & Lolland), basically a straight line from Hamburg to Copenhagen (thru Lübeck).
Having real highspeed rail all the way to Stockholm would be cool, but is just unrealistic. Too far for one city of 1.8M (metro).

Is this project still alive ?
Got any renderings ?

[Swede]

^Haven't heard anything since then, but the news back in the fall was that the German and Danish goverments had taken a step forwards with the agreement needed for the whole Link to happen.

In other HSL news, the Norwegians seem to be considering real HSR on dedicated HSL (they've got money to spend...). graciously, they're including a Oslo-Göteborg HSL in their studies :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_Norway

[Grumpy]

Would love to see something about the new HSL from London to Kent

[Grumpy]

Pictures of some High Speed lines around Brussels that were recently taken

http://upload6.postimage.org/35648/BoogvanLeuven1_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35648/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35657/BoogvanLeuven2_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35657/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35662/BoogvanLeuven3_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35662/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35666/BoogvanLeuven4_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35666/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35674/VerdubbelingvandespoorlijnBrussel_Leuven1_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35674/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35683/VerdubbelingvandespoorlijnBrussel_Leuven2_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35683/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35687/VerdubbelingvandespoorlijnBrussel_Leuven3_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35687/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35696/ViaducvanBrussel_Zuid1_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35696/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35710/ViaducvanBrussel_Zuid2_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35710/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35715/ViaducvanBrussel_Zuid3_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35715/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35721/ViaductvanBrussel_Noord1_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35721/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35726/ViaductvanBrussel_Noord2_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35726/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35734/ViaductvanBrussel_Noord3_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35734/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload6.postimage.org/35738/ViaductvanBrussel_Noord4_Large_.jpg (http://upload6.postimage.org/35738/photo_hosting.html)

[Swede]

News on the Scandi front: http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1298&a=618705
Basically, the Swedish Rail Authority has said that in the future the Stockholm-Göteborg line is to take just 2h15min including all (2?) stops inbetween. That means a top speed in 300 or 320km/h :)

a quick graphic I put together:
http://hem.bredband.net/torkel120/msweden.gif
Blue - what they've now said is eventually to be a real HSL
Green - possible connections to Oslo
Red - possible connection to Köbenhavn and on to Germany
Gray - other routes done by X2000 today

[Grumpy]

Trains who leave CPH are going to where in Sweden/Norway actually ?

[Swede]

Afaik, there's just two long distance lines ending at Copenhagen (i.e., not counting commuter trains to Skåne). Stockholm and Göteborg/Oslo. The Bridge is almost at capacity iirc, so eventually they'll need doubble-decker trains for the Copenhagen-Malmö commuters (serious crowding during rush-hour).

[pricemazda]

Are there any plans to build a rail/road link across the Baltic to the Alands and Finland?

To me that and a link from Helsinki to Estonia and a UK/Ireland link are the only gaps since the Oresund and Channel Tunnel links.

[Swede]

No serious ones, no. The market is already pretty well set up with large ferries and plenty of flights. If you need to get there in a couple of hours, just take a plane, but if you need cheap the ferries start at under 10€ (even cheaper to get to Åland). So there's no need for it and it would be extremely costly to build.
Oh, and Finland has it's own guage for the railways anyway :P

HKI-TLN is more realistic, but that'd need better connections south from Tallinn (the Rail Baltica project that's in the works).

[pricemazda]

I think a UK/Ireland link will be difficult as well.

The shortest distance is from Scotland to Northern Ireland, therefore the UK govt alone will have to pay for the costs.

Also the sea there is very deep making engineering very hard as well. I think we will see a UK HS network first before any new bridges to Ireland or even a road tunnel to France.

[Grumpy]

I wonder if this shall get built one day : the "Swissmetro"

http://www.swissmetro.ch/img/fahrzeug.JPG

http://www.ntb.ch/files/0/2077/images/netz.gif

Swissmetro Forum : http://www.swissmetro.ch/phpBB

[Grumpy]

The Rhine-Rhone high-speed line consists of three branches: the Eastern branch, the Western branch and the Southern branch.

The whole Rhine-Rhone high-speed project may be likened to a three-pronged star:

http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/images/photos/carte.gif

- the Eastern branch, between the Dijon (Genlis) and Mulhouse (Lutterbach) urban areas, with 190 km of new line.
- the Western branch, from the Western end of the Eastern branch towards Paris via Dijon.
- the Southern branch, from the junction of the two other branches towards Lyon.

A view of the track:
http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/medias/pdf/medias79.pdf

http://www.rff.fr/biblio_pdf/lgv_RR_BE.pdf

A project with a difference : Journey times

With the very first tranche of the Eastern branch, journey times for a large number of origin-destination pairs will be substantially reduced.

http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/images/photos/Copie-de-temps-de-parcours-.gif

A project with a difference : Key figures

A few figures illustrating the scale of France’s biggest civil engineering project

- 140 km of line, including 40 % through forests
- 85 municipalities
- 6,000 site-related jobs
- 160 bridges
- 12 viaducts
- 12-km long tunnel
- 400 km of fencing
- 500,000 sleepers
- 2 new stations
- 24 million m³ of excavations
- 18 million m³ of embankment

A project with a difference: timelines

The line will be built in two stages: earthworks and civil engineering structures between 2006 and 2009, and railway equipment (rails and overhead lines, signalling systems and fencing) between 2009 and 2011.

http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/images/photos/ligne.jpg

More info : http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/english.php & http://www.rff.fr/pages/projets/fiche_projet.asp?lg=fr&code=147&codeRegion=9

[Grumpy]

a picture of a Belgian HS line between Leuven and Ans:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g2/De_Snor/DSC02285.jpg

[SrbijaCG]

Serbia's future high speed rail network:sly:


http://www.masfak.ni.ac.yu/uploads/images/masfak_zelkon_2006_konacan_novo_copy.gif

It will run along the north-south "spine of Serbia" - Subotica - Novi Sad - Belgrade - Kragujevac - Nis - Skoplje and will branch out towards Croatia (Zagreb), Greece( Solun and Athens) & Bulgaria(Sofia)

[Grumpy]

new station Liège Guillemins:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Pano_Liege_guillemins_5juin.jpg

[SFSpike]

The new station in Liege looks fantastic. When is it due to come on line? A few years ago I rode on the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris, which was great, except for the slow pace in NL. Has the new HSL dedicated line opened yet? Looking forward to taking it again on my next trip.

[Mister F]

News on the Scandi front: http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1298&a=618705
Basically, the Swedish Rail Authority has said that in the future the Stockholm-Göteborg line is to take just 2h15min including all (2?) stops inbetween. That means a top speed in 300 or 320km/h :)

a quick graphic I put together:
http://hem.bredband.net/torkel120/msweden.gif
Blue - what they've now said is eventually to be a real HSL
Green - possible connections to Oslo
Red - possible connection to Köbenhavn and on to Germany
Gray - other routes done by X2000 today
How far along is that blue line to Stockholm? A lot of people here in Canada seem to be convinced that the corridors where HSR has been proposed aren't densely populated enough. But if it'll work to Stockholm and Oslo (or Madrid and Lisbon for that matter) it'll definitely work here.

[Swede]

That line is still far away when it comes to real HSR, I'd say at least 10-15 years before construction could begin. However, the tracks there were improved in the 90s and new trains introduced that cut travel times by over 25%. All the lines I marked on the map are today done by the X2000 (http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/sweden/) (as well as older "traditional" inter-city trains that make more stops).

[SrbijaCG]

How far along is that blue line to Stockholm? A lot of people here in Canada seem to be convinced that the corridors where HSR has been proposed aren't densely populated enough. But if it'll work to Stockholm and Oslo (or Madrid and Lisbon for that matter) it'll definitely work here.

Windsor-QC corridor is home to 17+ million people, or more than 50% of Canadian population...thats not populated enough? And if they extend it Detroit(just across the bridge from Windsor) and further to Chicago, thats another ~20 million.

[khazars]

there's talk here in scotland of building a Maglev line from Glasgow to Edinburgh,


http://www.500kmh.com/gla_edi_press_su.html

[Mister F]

Windsor-QC corridor is home to 17+ million people, or more than 50% of Canadian population...thats not populated enough? And if they extend it Detroit(just across the bridge from Windsor) and further to Chicago, thats another ~20 million.
Believe it or not, people make that argument.

[Rathgrith]

You don't know badly I want high speed rail in Canada. Day trips would be so much better!

[borgo100]

You don't know badly I want high speed rail in Canada. Day trips would be so much better!

ya better then like a 7 hour drive from toronto to montreal

[PeterG]

there's talk here in scotland of building a Maglev line from Glasgow to Edinburgh,


http://www.500kmh.com/gla_edi_press_su.html

Really?!
I live in Glasgow and regularly get the train across to Edinburgh and I've never heard about this.
I did hear rumours that they were going to electrify the existing line, but a Maglev? Now that would be brilliant.

Sadly, I just can't see it anywhere in the near future. For one, cost would be a big problem, and would most likely require private investment. Also, the speed at which maglev runs means you would (probably) have many fewer services than the current diesel multiple units provide (currently running every 15 minutes), and I'm not sure that people would like that. The Glasgow-Edinburgh service at the moment is very good because it's basically like an express shuttle, but with maglev - yes it would be faster, but you'd probably have to wait longer for it.

We can but dream, though!!

[Wizzard]

Planned LGV EST Paris-Bratislava (Budapest)

http://www.magistrale.org/images/topkarte-mit-magistrale-zuege.jpg

[Grumpy]

I have a question about the German HST-network:
Why isn't there a HSL between Hannover and the Ruhrgebiet ?
Nowadays ICE trains do run on a rather low speed between these cities?
Why does DB not built a line here ?

[staff]

I've noticed DB ICE trains on the Central Station in Copenhagen the last months. When did DB start operating their ICE trains all the way up to Copenhagen?
More info on this service?

[KingKrunch]

:previous: ICE service between Hamburg and Copenhagen started on 9th December 2007. There's some basic info on the danish website of DB:
http://www.bahn.de/db_danmark/view/vores_tilbud/kobenhavn_hh.shtml
They are using diesel powered trains instead of the electric ones. Just imagine how much faster the connection will be once the Fehmarn Belt Bridge is finished :)
Aside from Copenhagen, ICE trains are now also running between Hamburg and Århus.

[staff]

Ah, in any case, the trains look awesome and are a very welcome addition to the otherwise boring train fleet at Copenhagen H. Only ugly Danish IC3s, and 15 year old Swedish "high speed" trains.

[Grumpy]

MAP OF THE 30 PRIORITY AXES AND PROJECTS (http://ec.europa.eu/ten/transport/priority_projects_minisite/map_en.htm)

[Grumpy]

a new proposal for France:

http://www.nantes.maville.com/of-photos/2008/02/14/POLADP_873717_1_px_300__w_presseocean_.jpg

[Fabb]

Are you sure it's new ?
What the source of the document ?

[Grumpy]

Are you sure it's new ?
What the source of the document ?

source (http://www.nantes.maville.com)

[elfabyanos]

source (http://www.nantes.maville.com)

^^ this link has taken me to a homepage, do you have a link to the article?

[Grumpy]

http://www.grand-dijon.fr/onlinemedia/HtmlImage/zoom_16471.jpg

LGV Rhin-Rhône Branche Est (http://www.lgvrhinrhone.tv/)