High Speed Rail in Europe

Living in Paris is extremely convenient for travel in and around France.    Taking the TGV is one of the best ways to travel from Paris to neighbouring cities and countries.   I certainly took advantage of this when I was living over there, traveling from Paris to London, Amsterdam, Munich, Strasbourg, Lyon,  Marseille and Brussels.

High speed rail has become such a success in France and Europe, and now the European Union are pushing for an integrated European high speed rail network.    Should this project succeed, the next 20 years shall see the birth of two high-speed lines joining France and Spain as well as the construction of the strongly contested Lyon- Turin line between France and Italy.    A map below shows the European Union’s ambitions plans for high speed rail in Europe [1].

High speed rail vs air travel

So will these investments be worth it?     To be an attractive option for passengers, high-speed rail (HSR) must compete with air travel.      So I thought I would compare travel times a couple of high-speed lines that are expected to become available in the future.

As you can see I’m looking at two HSR projects due to bring Paris closer to both Munich and Madrid.  The LGV East Phase 2 [2] will put Munich 30 minutes closer to Paris upon completion in 2016.   The LGV SEA [3] (all phases) is expected to put Madrid at 5 hours and 45 minutes from Paris.

When I calculated total travel times I included an airport waiting time of 1 hour and 15 minutes.   Airports have to adhere to strict safety standards, which now mean that they are closing check-in 40 minutes prior to takeoff [4].  

Getting to and from the airport or train station is an important factor when deciding which mode of transport to use.   Stations are often located in the CBD so there is greater access to public transport.   Airports are usually very accessible by car as they are located outside the city and usually on motorways.   It is difficult to compare travel times from airports and train stations as a lot depends on passenger circumstance.

Conclusions

According to my calculations, traveling from Paris to Munich and Madrid was faster by plane, by 2h10 minutes and 2h45 minutes respectively.    I think this information shows that HSR will struggle to compete with air travel on long routes.   Shorter fast train trips, those less than 3 hours while connecting large cities, are likely to be more profitable and useful.    Moreover, the busiest flight routes in Europe are between cities within the same country, so there isn't a big demand for travel between countries [5].

Anyways, that's my two cents.   I think that some of these HSR lines aren't a particularly good use of public money.   Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Links: 

[1] Transport: New EU infrastructure policy IP-13-948 English ; [2] LGV Est European Phase 2 English - PDF download ; [3] LGV SEA paper discussing feasibility French ; [4] Easyjet Check-in Statement 2013 Engish ;[5] Top 10 airport pairs within the EU 2013 - Eurostat - Excel download - Map 2 

Getting around: Life in Wellington vs Paris

So as a Kiwi French teacher, it isn't surprising that I have lived in France, in the beautiful city of Paris.  When I returned to my home town Wellington, it surprised me how my life was to change in comparison to my Parisian lifestyle.   Sure, it was great to be back, but I did miss the convenience and ease of living in Paris.  So why was it easier living in Paris?  Lets compare!

Clichy is a suburb of Paris, and Karori is a suburb of Wellington in New Zealand –the latter is characteristic of low density urban sprawl while Clichy is a compact city with medium to high density housing.  I lived in each of these places for approximately 10 months and without a vehicle.   Check out the maps below showing key amenities and walking time from where I was living:

     Clichy, Paris

From my apartment in Paris, by foot, it would take:

•  12 minutes to the metro station
• metro leaves every 5 to 10 minutes
• 10 minutes to get to the centre of Paris from station
• 2 supermarkets within 2 minutes walk, another three within 10 minutes
• 3 minutes to sports field
• 10 minutes to park
• 15 minutes to pool
• 1 minute to closest school

     Karori, Wellington (New Zealand)

From my house in Karori,by foot, it would take

• 5 minutes to closest bus station
• bus leaves every 20 minutes
• 10 - 15 minutes to get to the centre of Wellington
• 25 minutes walk to two supermarkets (both located in the same mall)
• 2 minutes walk to sports field 
• 1 minute walk to park/cemetery 
• 20 minutes to pool 
• 20 minute to closest school                                         

As you can see from these maps (both to the same scale), there is more available in Clichy within a short walking distance.   Of even more significance is the frequency of the public transport in Paris:  every 5 minutes on peak and 10 minutes off peak was extremely convenient.    

 And the culture shock...

When I returned to Wellington, I remember my experience of public transport like a culture shock.    Buses would arrive every 20 minutes and would seem to take forever. Furthermore, I no longer had supermarkets and other shops my doorstep.  My Parisian turn-up-and-go lifestyle had come to and end; getting around was now to be governed by timetables, long distance walking, and infrequent buses. Not only were buses infrequent, they were often late - one morning in particular the bus arrived 30 minutes later than scheduled – and upon arrival, there were three buses following each other truck-and-trailer.  

Needless to say, by the end of 10 months of living in Karori, I was aching to own my own vehicle.   But it also made me think about effective planning in cities and how this makes live easier for everyone.  I began to understand the importance of frequent and reliable transport and I wondered whether New Zealand cities could ever achieve Parisian-like ease of living.  Let me know your thoughts!  Thanks for reading:)