Direct trains from London to Bordeaux’s vineyards could launch within two years
Lovers of fine wine can make a toast after HC1 proposed the 650-mile service which could get you to south-west France in just under five hours
DIRECT trains from London to the Bordeaux wine area in south-west France are in the pipeline.
The 650-mile link would bypass Paris using a new French high-speed line that opened last July and take less than five hours.
It would shave half an hour off the current trip.
Two French and two UK companies are now in talks over timetables.
Dyan Crowther of HS1, which owns the UK part of the line, said: “There is a real demand for international train services. The route is almost ready for a train operator to turn up and turn the key.
"This is the first time that railway operators have collaborated in this way and saves the train operator having to do a lot of legwork."
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HS1 believes the train service could offer serious competition with low-cost airlines to the destination.
The firm is also in discussions with railway operators over new direct links to Frankfurt and Geneva.