The Italian government has recently approved a new high tech and high-speed rail line that will make it possible to travel from Italy to the United Kingdom in only 6 hours! It will also reduce the journey from Milan to Paris by three hours. The rail line will run under the Alps.
This has been an ongoing process but the Prime Minister of Italy is in full support of it. He stated that “Not building the high-speed line would cost much more than building it.” This is because if Italy did not carry through with the plan, they would be breaching their agreement with France.
The United Kingdom is not a part of the Schengen Area. This area represents the zone where 26 countries abolished their international borders so that individuals can move freely. The 26 countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Since the UK is not part of the Schengen Area, international travelers must go through checks. This definitely makes travel more difficult for passengers and railroad companies.
Intercity high-speed rail service between Turin and France take approximately five hours and from there to Milan it is an overall 7-hour trip. With this new innovation, the entire trip from Paris to Milan will take four hours!
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- Main Image: Daniel Abadia on Unsplash
Beautiful example of Italian engineering!!!