TWIG - As the conventional capitalist wisdom goes, competition benefits consumers. A new initiative by the German and French railways is a case in point. Soon, travelers between major German cities and Paris will be able to choose between the German ICE and the French TGV.

German high-speed ICE (InterCityExpress) trains will speed to Paris at 320 kilometers per hour on new billion-euro tracks in France, while its French counterpart TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse) is due to cross the river Rhine for the first time.

The upshot for travelers is lower prices and more connections. As gas prices creep steadily upwards, the German Railway hopes to lure travelers to take its long distance trains with special offers starting from 29 euros according to Deutsche Bahn chief Hartmut Mehdorn.

Regardless of which train passengers choose, the new arrangement will get them to their destinations faster. While a trip from Frankfurt to Paris once took over six hours, the ICE now reaches Paris in 4 hours and 11 minutes.
The French speed demon TGV is taking over a southern route between Stuttgart and Paris, with a traveling time of 3 hours and 39 minutes.

Until recently, there has been little competition between the two national lines, but presented with the choice of traveling "a la francaise" or "auf Deutsch", may start taking a closer look at the trains.

Karl-Peter Naumann, chair of the passengers' association Pro Bahn, says the ICE is totally up to scratch with is high level of travel comfort, including electrical sockets in first and second class. The French, meanwhile, are updating their TGV to go east with a new interior design - the seats are covered in red and light green, and they will boast additional leg room.

The railways say that the competition will be a friendly one. "Europe's leading railway lines are joining forces for the first time," Mehdorn said during a symbolic opening tour at the end of May.

"Together we will win new customers," his French counterpart Anne- Marie Idrac added.

By 2012, the planners expect a 50 percent increase to an annual 1.5 billion travelers on the international routes.

"Competition keeps you on your toes," says Naumann. Railway expert Heidi Tischmann of Travel Club Germany agrees. "It's good that German travelers realize that there are other long-distance trains, she says."