The need for speed: Europe's trains beat planes  

The Age has an article on the battle between trains and planes in Europe - The need for speed: Europe's trains beat planes. Will we ever see a high speed train between Sydney and Melbourne via Canberra ?

With the advent of high-speed trains, rail travel in Europe has become so popular that some intercity flight routes are being cancelled. Why would you fly from London to Paris, for example, and tackle Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle airport check ins plus security when you can catch a high-speed train that lands you right in the centre of town?

Now about 90 per cent of people travel by Eurostar between these two cities. And there's no longer any flights on the Paris-Brussels route. Many now also go by train between London and Brussels. High-speed trains are continually being introduced to new routes.

"If you are travelling less than 1500km, taking the train wins," says Rail Europe CEO Pierre-Stephane Austi. "It gives the sensation that Europe is really becoming smaller. ...Rail has completely changed because of the high-speed system."

He predicts that in two years most of the shorter airline routes will be "finished" in Europe.