France is going to initiate its fastest rail link. Trains will travel at 320km/h (200mph).
The TGV-Est line will connect Paris with the eastern city of Strasbourg, shortening travel time from the four hours now to two hours 20 minutes.
Passengers traveling further east to other EU states will also benefit after the launch of the link on June 10.
This event will be marked with a great light show staged along the 300km-long (185 miles) rail line.
“Some more 37 million Europeans can be reached,” AFP news agency TGV-East quoted speech of director Alain Le Guellec.
“A network of high-speed links is being put into place with the rest of Europe,” he said.
The 4 bn euros project was launched in 2002, with dozens of financial partners - including the governments of France and Luxembourg, which shared the cost.
France’s TGV trains, which were launched more than two decades ago, cover a network of 930 miles with an average speed of 185mph.

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