OMNI: OK so it doesn't deal with flying but it is travel related and some of us use this alternative to IAD and Dullard airport.

From the www.amtrak.com site (This is just the highlights


Amtrak (wednesday) unveiled its new, ultramodern high-speed train that will go into service later this year on the Northeast Corridor and announced the rebranding of most Amtrak trains throughout the Northeast as
Acela*. The new train and brand name reflect fundamental changes in passenger rail service that will improve speed, service, stations and more, and put Amtrak in a much stronger competitive position in the Northeast and other high speed corridors in the future.

The first high-speed trains, known as Acela Express, are scheduled to go into service between Boston, New York and Washington late this year, competing head-on with the air shuttles and Interstate 95 for time-sensitive business travelers. The current four-hour and 30-minute rail trip between Boston and New York will be cut to three hours. Up to fifteen minutes or more will be cut off today's three-hour Metroliner trip between New York and Washington with some express trains running at less than two and a half hours.

My questions: has anyone used the Bullet train service in Europe and have views on it?
(I don't think the Chunnel Train I took Paris to London was a Bullet.)

At least this train lover will have another choo choo to try out!

------------------
CATMAN

Catman- The "new" trains we will see running from DC to NYC and Boston are NOTHING like the Bullet trains in Europe. The Euro bullets often reach speeds of 170 mph plus (sometimes higher in the rural areas). From what I understand, while the new trains we'll see here in the NE corridor are speedy, the tracks can't handle the high speeds so there will be "speed limits"(only to about 120 mph max). I love the train to/from DC and NYC. A few years ago they were "testing" various models on the DC-NYC Metroliner route. I scheduled myself for one of the test runs and found it a vast improvement over the current Metroliner service. It was very comfortable, quite speedy and even banked into high speed turns. Perhaps if you're lucky, you may find both Sam Adams AND Pepsi products in the Bar Car!!!

It'd be really nice to have one here in Southern California. But the way they handle public transportation here, we might as well fly.

How does the Acela compare to the Japanese one?

the TGV runs over 170 miles per hour from Lyon to Paris CDG airport, and you can book it as a UA-"flight" and you earn UA miles!

T(rain) G(rande) V(itesse).

Rudi - only a very slight correction: TGV stands for "Tres Grande Vitesse" and translates to "Very High Speed."

If I remember correctly from my days in the US Air Force in Europe, the German Deutsches Bundesbahn has their Inter-City Express running between major cities. The railroads of other European companies also have express trains but none run as fast (or on dedicated tracks) like the TGV.

In Japan, the bullet trains are known as Shinkansen.

the T stands for TRAIN - I insist (not for tr�s). Have a look at different TGV-web-pages (it is always and only TRAIN!).

"The TGV (Train � Grande Vitesse) is the French high speed train. Of course, there is no such thing as the TGV; there are many significant differences among the 350-odd trainsets in service today, and the name TGV refers to much more than just the trains. Indeed, the TGV is a system which comprises train, track, and signalling technologies that when combined make high speeds (typically 300 km/h, or 186 mph) possible. The TGV system is owned and operated by SNCF, the French national railways, and is an integral part of French rail travel."

[This message has been edited by Rudi (edited 03-12-99).]

Just for everyone's interest, a TGV technology consortium was chosen as the preferred consortium to build a high speed
Sydney to Canberra VFT (Very fast Train). This may possibly be extended to Melbourne as our state government is keen to see it extended.

Whether it ever gets off the ground (no pun intended) remains to be seen but I really like the idea of Melbourne to Sydney in 3 hours by train

cheers Peter

here is the official answer to that very important question if the "T" in "TGV" stands for "tr�s" = "very" or for "train". TRAIN is the winner!

I cite todays e-mail answer to me:

"Subject:
RE: TGV
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 10:09:52 +0100
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Bonjour,

TGV means "Train � Grande Vitesse". Feel free to e-mail me for any other information. Regards.

Jean Baptiste - Direction de la Communication SNCF"

Rudi: and SNCF stands for S(ociet�) N(ationale de) C(hemin de Fer) F(rance).

Comparing the new Amtrak service in the Northeast corridor with the TGV is like comparing an experience on Southwest with an experience in BA First (the UNDISPUTED best in the air )...

Back to Bentsen: I've seen bullet trains. I've ridden on bullet trains. And Acela, sir, is no bullet train.

[This message has been edited by Matt Wald (edited 03-12-99).]

Agreed. Acela is no bullet train. But it is a truly viable alternative to destinations in (on?) Manhattan. I use the Metroliner (usually first class) when I have destinations (as infrequently as I can manage - sorry, Catman) there, and use air only when I'm going someplace on Long Island.
I see that my parenthetical interruptions sort of messed up that paragraph, but I was leading to the conclusion that the Metroliner is a truly pleasant travel experience. If the trip from DC to NYC by train can be made 15 minutes faster, that'll be great. Of course, if AMTRAK doubles the fare for the faster service, that won't be so great.

Rudi -- I stand corrected... thanks for the heads-up!

I think term "Bullet train" only refers to the Japanese high speed train and is called such because of the shape. The new Amtrak
Acela is more like the TGV but without the dedicated trackage. It will be faster than the current Metroliners by about 30 mph. Acela will travel at speeds up to 150mph while TGV tops out at about 180mph. The main difference is the dedicated track. Thats also where the cost is! If it proves successful, then we will see the same trainset or variations in other locations in the US although at much slower speeds. Pacific Northwest corridor is getting Talgo style trains! We in the USA have just not put the money into track improvments that the Europeon and Japanese governments have.

I took InterCityExpress (ICE) trains a lot when I was in Germany, usu. on the "sprinter" run between Muenchen + Frankfurt and also a few to Hamburg and Berlin.

The cabins are wide and spacious and what I liked the most was that between trains were often large panels of glass so it felt like you were looking out on a film landscape..

In the US I always try to take a train instead of flying (shhhh) -- on the west coast, you can earn AS frequent-flyer miles, and sometimes UA miles with Air Rail.

Trivia question: what is Amtrak's two-letter "airline code"?

According to my sources, it is 2V.