French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a speech, all kinds of bigshots stood
around smiling. The event had all the pomp and circumstance of royalty coming
to town, but this isn't about some monarch; it's the unveiling of the extremely
fast AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse), Alstom's new train.  

It's such a big deal for Alstom because the company was this close to bankrupt
not long ago. They even compares the AGV to Airbus' A380 in importance and
technological innovation. So what's the big deal?

The AGV can travel 1,000km (600 miles) in three hours, making it competitive with
airplanes in many situations (especially if you take into account longer boarding times
with planes). It has a top speed of 360km/h (224mph) and is powered by engines that
are located under each carriage instead of locomotives at the ends, freeing up space
for more passengers (between 300 and 700 seats, depending on configuration).
The AGV will also be 20% more efficient than previous generation high-speed trains.

Italy's Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) is said to have already bought 25 AGV
trains for 650 million euros ($957.5 million). They are scheduled to start operation in
2011-2012. Germany's Deutsche Bahn AG might also order some AGV; it made a
pan-European call for bids for 15 high-speed trains and the AGV could be what it's
looking for. Also, France's Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais
(SNCF) is thinking about renewing it's aging trains by 2013... 

If we expect people to travel more efficiently, we need to give them attractive
alternatives to the dirtier forms of transportation. This is a step in the right direction,
and we hope that the US will pay attention.