TGV trains are loved by the French, who are very proud of their flagship high-speed train service (and so they should be).
It’s hardly surprising, as the TGV is cheap, quick, efficient, comfortable and very reliable. On this instance we used TGV to travel to Lille.
If I were to compare TGV to British Rail (or whatever it calls itself) it is like comparing an Aston Martin to a clapped out Ford Fiesta.
I still cannot comprehend why British Rail is so expensive and all these stupid book in advance offers (whatever happened to spontenaity). TGV is comfortable, air-conditioned, fantastic food in the buffets, friendly staff.
I can't praise their service highly enough. As for British Rail I suppose I am spoiled by the memories I have of travelling by trains in the UK when they were on time, compartmented with beautifully upholstered seating, leather straps to open windows (yes open windows!), coal fires in waiting rooms, cafes on every station, clean toilets, women only carriages and cheap fares.
Thank you Dr Beeching and Sir Robert McAlpine for destroying what was once the most efficient form of travelling and the ultimate destruction of freight trains and the Royal Mail train. Lord Stonham, Chairman of the National Council on Inland Transport condemend the Beeching report as 'destructive' and added:
"Far from gearing the railways to the needs of the 1960s," he said, "it will in some areas reduce public transport to a lower level than in the horse age." It is also worthy noting that at that time McAlpine was giving millions of pounds to the, then, Conservative government, and what was his business concern .... hmmmm ..... aggregate, concrete and tarmac ... any use to trains .... we think not ....
Our friend Dave used to be a fireman on the trains and he told us about trains which had up to 80 freight carriages which used to be taken to a special depot and then attached to other trains to go all over the UK. He also was one of the first people to drive on the M1 and said it was a most peculiar experience because there were these huge open roads and you could drive at 70mph (the driving speed used to be 45mph on previous roads). Now go down the M1, M11, M25 - congestion, congestion, congestion. Filled with trucks from all over Europe - some hardly road legal. Now the present goverment wants to fill the slow lane with trucks ... what a brilliant idea (not). Can you imagine a tailback of impatient, frustrated, bored truck drivers (some who cannot speak English) sitting in their designated lane ... how would the middle lane get off onto slip roads, the other lanes would become more congested as now two-lane motorway instead of three.
