Ouigo

Ouigo, the low-fare French rail operation, announced it would add new routes next year. The current north-south system will expand from Marne la Valle north to Tourcoing, Haute Picardie and Charles De Gaulle; and west to Angers, Le Mans, Nantes and Rennes.

One big addition here is Charles De Gaulle, where international arrivals can catch a low-fare train without first schlepping to Marne la Valle. The news source did not indicate whether the northward extension would include Lille Europe, the optimal transfer point for travelers taking the Eurostar to/from London.

Ouigo is a low-fare version of the TGV high-speed service, with TGV equipment but no first class and with one-way fares starting as low as 10 euros. As we noted previously, for now, RailEurope does not include Ouigo schedules or fares, so you have to book through the French home website at ventes.ouigo.com/search.aspx?culture=en-GB. We will post schedule information when we get it.

In other high-speed news, the Chinese government announced ordering more high-speed trains capable of cruising at 380 kph (238 mph). While the U.S. dithers, China builds.

— Ed Perkins, editor

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