Pi-Consulting

Jet-setters in Europe seem to be giving way to train-setters. Air travel is losing its glamour as crowded airports, flight delays, security lines and baggage snarl-ups take their toll. In Western Europe, an invitation to “come fly with me” is these days just as likely to be met with a dismissive “No thanks, I’ll take the train”. The difference is high-speed rail technology, with new lines already installed across France, Germany and Italy, and now snaking their way through Spain and the UK too. Speeds of up to 200 miles-per-hour mean short, comfortable journeys between over a dozen key European destinations. A new rail link just inaugurated in London and South-East England, joining up with the Channel Tunnel, has brought high-speed travel to the British leg of the Paris-to-London route, with the two city centers now only 140 minutes apart. Could this be the beginning of a “Spring Break Party Train–Gone Wild?” And no faffing around in airports! Jet-setting is, like, so last year. Source, The Economist, Pi.