Germany to soon boast of new high-speed trains

The new ICE German high speed train was unveiled at St Pancras station in London, on Tuesday.

This high-speed train is expected to offer a direct service from London to Frankfurt from 2013.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said it hopes to run services to Germany through the Channel Tunnel, challenging Eurostar's monopoly and Alstom trains.

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Deutsche Bahn also intends to run trains from London to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

The network will also serve Brussels, Belgium, the Dutch port of Rotterdam and Cologne in Germany.

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The Siemens-built ICE 3 train, which has a maximum speed of 320 kph (200 miles per hour), will undergo further test runs and approval measures to use the Channel Tunnel.

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Eurostar is a high-speed passenger rail service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France.

The London terminal is St Pancras.

Calling points in France are Calais-Frethun and Lille-Europe, with the main Paris terminus at Gare du Nord.

Trains to Belgium terminate at Midi/Zuid station in Brussels.

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An Eurostar passes a Deutsche Bahn ICE 3 high speed train leaving the Channel Tunnel after the preliminary tests in Coquelles, northern France.

Deutsche Bahn and Eurotunnel conducted a series of tests on an ICE 3 high speed train passenger train in the Channel Tunnel from October 13 until October 19, 2010.

These tests culminated in the ICE 3 train being hauled by two Krupp locomotives along the high speed track to the international station at St Pancras, in London.