Trenitalia To Introduce High-Speed Trains Between Paris & Madrid
The latest news in sustainable travel relates to a new high-speed train to be launched by Trenitalia, traveling between Paris and Madrid. This is only the latest high-speed train to be developed in Europe, with the bloc working towards sustainable and green travel.
New high-speed train to travel between Paris and Madrid
One way to lower travel’s carbon footprint is to improve rail connections and introduce more high-speed trains. Instead of hopping on a plane, a more sustainable, carbon-friendly mode of travel is to journey by rail. To this end, Europe is introducing more and more high-speed trains between major capitals. While the journey might still take longer than flying, the lower cost is definitely attractive.
As part of sustainable travel efforts, travelers are being increasingly urged to skip the airport and rather hop on a carbon-friendly train. Meanwhile, the latest effort is set to slash traveling time between Paris and Madrid and the company responsible is Italy’s Trenitalia. The company is a subsidiary of FS Italiane Group.
Plans are set to launch a new high-speed train between Paris and Madrid by the end of 2024. Moreover, the operator plans to connect the two capitals with its high-speed Frecciarossa trains. Since December 2021, these trains have been running between Paris and Milan, and Lyon and Paris.
Meanwhile, since November 2022, the trains have been running between the major Spanish cities of Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid. Moreover, the new planned train will also link Paris and Barcelona, where the existing high-speed service already runs to Spain’s capital, Madrid.
Madrid Secreto quotes Luigi Ferraris, the CEO of the FS Italiane Group, as saying “We can also think of connecting Madrid with Italy via France.”
How fast are these high-speed trains?
The English translation of the name “Frecciarossa” is “Red Arrow.” Meanwhile, prior to 2008, the train service was known as Eurostar Italia. These modern, high-speed trains are able to reach speeds of up to 400 km/h (249 mph).
When looking at an existing route, a train journey from Paris to Milan takes an average of nine hours and 40 minutes. However, Frecciarossa slashes this time to around seven hours, with one-way advance tickets priced from €29 ($31).
What other high-speed rail routes are coming to Europe?
As new high-speed and sleeper trains launch across Europe, rail travel is experiencing a comeback across the continent. Meanwhile, the new trains make travel cheaper, more sustainable and faster.
In Austria, rail operator Nightjet recently unveiled plans for a new service running between Stuttgart in Germany, and Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb and Ljubljana. Meanwhile, Czech Railways recently announced the reintroduction of its former sleeper service. Ths runs between Prague and Zurich via Dresden, Leipzig, Frankfurt and Basel.
Meanwhile, as recently reported, Portugal has unveiled plans for high-speed trains running between its 10 largest cities. Moreover, the city of London has recently opened its new, cross-rail high-speed railway. In France, short-haul flights from Paris to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux are to be banned in an effort to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
However, rail travel isn’t just about getting there faster. Luxury trains are being offered as another, favored mode of travel. These luxurious trains will take people from A to B in luxury, with excellent dining and comfortable suites. In fact, these more expensive options make the journey a vacation in itself. Moreover, this includes the iconic, 1883 Orient Express which is coming back into service in 2025.