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Huge new £21billion train line to connect two of Europe’s prettiest cities
Watch our video on picturesque train journeys to take in Europe
A NEW train line is set to launch in 2032, making the connection between two popular holiday hotspots in Europe a lot faster.
Train journey times between Paris and Milan will be slashed by three hours when the Turin-Lyon high-speed railway opens in eight years.
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Stretching for 167 miles, the new train route hopes to improve passenger services and increase opportunities for freight transport.
Although direct trains already operate between Paris and Milan, these services take seven hours.
This means journeys between the two cities will be reduced to four hours and 30 minutes, roughly.
Journey times between other holiday destinations are also set to improve, with services between Paris and Milan said to take four hours - saving 90 minutes.
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Trains will journey through the Alps in the Mon d’Ambin Base Tunnel.
Stretching for 56.8km, the Mon d’Ambin Base Tunnel will become the longest tunnel of its kind when it opens.
Not only will the new railway improve journeys for passengers, it will also take freight traffic off the read in turn helping to reduce local air pollution.
The project is already slated to cost an eye-watering €25billion (£21billion).
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Roughly 40 per cent of the project is being funded by the European Union - although this contribution could increase to 55 per cent in the coming years.
Despite the good news for passengers and freight services, the new rail plans have been met with fierce backlash by some locals.
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Residents in the French town of Chimilin are set to be divided by the new stretch of railway.
According to , residents from the French town have been opposing the development of the new railway lines since 1992.
This is because residents believe the rail project could result in "economic uncertainty" for the town.
OTHER EUROPEAN ROUTES
Earlier this year, ÖBB announced the launch of three new sleeper trains departing from Munich, Salzburg or Vienna to top destinations in Italy.
Passengers can choose to visit Bologna, Florence, or Rome on the sleeper services.
These new sleeper services are set to come into force on September 10.
Meanwhile, a new 15-hour sleeper train is set to connect Brussels to the Italian Alps next year, running overnight.
They hope the seasonal service will attract skiers and snowboarders from the UK.
And a new sleeper service is set to run between Lisbon and Madrid, linking the two cities for the first time in a decade.
The news comes after prime ministers in both countries endorsed plans to improve cross-border rail connections.
A train service, which was operated by Renfe, used to link the two capitals until the route was scrapped in 2020.
The route is slated to be fully operational by 2034 - marking 14 years since the two countries were connected by a direct rail service.
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Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
"After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass." - Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
"Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you're whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too - as you'll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way." Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
"Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord." - Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
"From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond." - Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
"The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city's high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I've witnessed anywhere." - Ryan Gray
Dutch train operator GoVolta hopes to launch train routes from Amsterdam to Berlin and Copenhagen in 2025.
And Czechia public transport operator Leo Express has revealed plans to connect Belgium to Slovakia via a 19-hour train journey.
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