High Speed Rail

The French are celebrating 25 years of the TGV

It has woken sleepy provincial towns, shrunk the map of France and even promises to matchmake lonely passengers. France's high-speed train, the TGV, is 25 today.

The TGV is stylish in a way only the French can achieve; compare with the bulbous German ICE or the bland Italian Pendolino. It's an iconic train who's distinctive image is recognisable all over the world, a classic like the Japanese Series 0 Bullet Train or the EMD F-Units.

Sadly the news today from neighbouring Germany is much more tragic. The prototype for the next generation of high-speed rail travel, the Maglev, has suffered a 120 mph crash. The death toll is reported as high as 16, more than half the people on board.