| France, 21 September 2006, CHAUCONIN-NEUFMONTIERS, France. France completed the Paris- Strasbourg TGV train link on Wednesday, the last major section in a high-speed network that has revolutionized French rail travel since its start 25 years ago.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin started machinery that welded in place the last few meters of track on a line that goes into service next June.
The new line will slash travel times between the two cities from more than four hours to 2 hours 20 minutes. Villepin called it an example of French engineering at its best.
The French government has provided more than a third of the €3.2 billion, or $4.06 billion, to build the link. The rest came from the European Union, neighboring Luxembourg, local government, the SNCF state rail system and the track operator. (Reuters)
PARIS
French tourism grows as leading destination
An increase in the number of Chinese and Spanish visitors has helped push France's summer tourist season this year to a level better than in 2005, Tourism Minister Léon Bertrand said Wednesday.
France's coastal areas proved the most popular, Bertrand said. He did not provide figures, saying that the tail end of the season was still under way and that "we'll have to wait to the end of December to draw definitive conclusions."
In 2005, France welcomed 76 million foreign visitors, confirming the country as the top tourist destination in the world, ahead of Spain and the United States. Tourism revenues for that year grew 3.5 percent over 2004 to €34 billion, or $43 billion. (AFP)
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High-speed rail to link Paris and Strasbourg