Need for speed: The world's fastest trains

By: Sveta Basraon

In this age of thrift - with its emphasis on efficiency with low cost - business travellers are rediscovering the convenience (and the romance) of taking the train. This is not just a fallout of the recent global economic crisis. Business travellers in Europe and Japan have for years enjoyed the benefits of a dense network of high-speed rail lines. Now the US is making big investments in this area. It has set aside USD 8 billion to create 13 high-speed rail corridors. China too has ambitious plans. It wants to build 13,000 km of railway by 2012, and wants to connect the network to other countries as well - including a Beijing-London high-speed rail link!

The fastest trains in Europe, China and Japan run at 300-350 kmph. Spain's Alta Velocidad Española (AVE, which means bird in Spanish) covers the 500 km between Madrid and Barcelona in just around three hours. Frankfurt to Paris by France's Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) or Germany's Inter City Express (ICE) takes about four hours. London to Paris too is just about two-and-a-half hours away by the Eurostar. All that speed, with no perceptible vibration within the cabin and a smaller carbon footprint than air travel. And leg room!

A flight on any of these sectors would take about an hour and 15 minutes, but the total time, door-to-door, comes to roughly the same if you add up how long it takes to get to the airport, check-in and clear security, collect baggage and then get out and drive to your final destination within the city. Add to that saturated airports and flights that are forced to circle the airport till they get permission to land.

A Different Plane
Nothing beats the convenience of getting into a train minutes before it leaves, from the heart of the city and then get out again into the heart of another city. The trains in Japan and Europe also have a near perfect score for punctuality.

Infographics: Malay Karmakar

"Busy airports, long queues for security and traffic jam are big stress points for many business passengers. With fast and efficient train networks like the TGV in France and the Shinkansen, between Tokyo and Osaka, the advantage is clear," says Ashwini Kakkar, executive vice-chairman, Mercury Travels. Besides, once you've been to Europe often enough, you realise that it's considered cool to take the train", says Gopinath Parayil, founder of The Blue Yonder, a Bangalore-based 'responsible travel' company.

It's not just about speed. Train operators have realised the potential and are providing services and comforts designed to lure the business traveller. There are the obvious comforts of space, being able to use the phone and the Internet, and getting better, fresher food than you get on a plane. Then there are added services like booking a taxi through the train conductor if you are travelling by first class on some of the European trains. The Eurostar that runs between London-Paris and London-Brussels, also offers a business class with fast track check-in, and a lounge with wireless access. Some European trains even provide meeting areas for small groups of people, or give you the option of being in a "quiet carriage" - no mobile phones or talking allowed - for a relaxed journey.

With all that, high-speed rail compares favourably with air travel on price too. A quick comparison of trains and flights leaving in the early morning in mid-June show that a second class ticket typically costs almost half the Economy fare on a flight. And if you were to fly Premium Economy on sectors like Paris-Amsterdam, you'd end up paying Rs. 20,000, while a first class ticket for the same sector on the Thalys would cost Rs. 5,000.

According to media reports, there have already been big shifts in passenger numbers from airlines to trains - and not just because of Iceland's volcanic ash cloud. High-speed trains carry almost half of the passengers between Madrid and Barcelona. Similarly, after the Wuhan-Guangzhou line was commissioned, it has been reported that China's airlines slashed prices to compete.

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