Weekly transport agenda: European rail speeds up

(AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE)

New high speed rail routes open in Europe this week. 2010 sees the Phuket International Boat Show, followed by the London International Boat Show.

Thalys Accelerates / New Alta Velocità
December 13
France/Belgium/Germany/Netherlands/Italy
The high-speed service linking France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands gets even faster on December 13. New high-speed lines reduce the journey time of Paris to Amsterdam by 51 minutes to 3 hours, 18 minutes and Paris to Cologne by 36 minutes to 3 hours, 14 minutes. A new high-speed section of Italian rail will also go into service on December 13, linking Milan and Rome in under 3 hours.
http://www.thalys.com
http://www.trenitalia.com/

Opening of the Wuhan-Guangzhou High Speed Rail Link
December 26
China
One of the world's fastest passenger links, the Wuhan-Guangzhou line will stretch for 1068 km through three provinces, running at speeds of  350km/h (220 mph). The link is predicted to shorten the travel time from over 10 hours to under 3 hours.

Phuket International Boat Show
January 7-10
Phuket, Thailand
The seventh annual PIMEX show is the largest in the region and features a display of yachts/superyachts alongside a series of seminars that combine international experts on maritime security with technical experts in their fields.
www.phuketboatshow.com

London International Boat Show
January 8 - 17
London, United Kingdom
London's boat show is the first major show of the year, predicted to welcome 122,000 guests to see some 400 exhibitors. It is London's 56th annual show and aims to cater to all tastes - from the "Boating on a budget" exhibit to the "Sunseeker Champagne Bar."
www.londonboatshow.com

Inaugural Bahrain Air Show
January 21-23
Sakhir, Bahrain
Devised as a sister event to the influential Farnborough Air Show, the Kingdom
of Bahrain and Farnborough International Ltd have constructed a purpose-built site for this Middle Eastern event. Uniquely, the show has a restricted number of tickets and no exhibition halls - attendees visit luxury "chalets" owned by exhibitors to see products and demonstrations.
www.bahraininternationalairshow.com