France Opens New Eastern High-Speed Train Line

France on Saturday opened a new high-speed train line between Paris and Strasbourg.

France on Saturday opened a new high-speed train line between Paris and Strasbourg that is part of plan to improve transport connections between western and eastern Europe.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon was aboard the train, which cuts the journey time from Paris to Strasbourg from four hours to two hours and 20 minutes.

The first commercial passengers will travel on Sunday.

"Putting Strasbourg at just over two hours from Paris was a dream," Fillon told reporters in Strasbourg, which lies on the border with Germany. "It's a symbol of a European France."

The project has cost 5.5 billion euros ($7.4 billion) so far. But it is not yet finished. Only 300 kilometres (186 miles) of the track linking the two cities is high speed, meaning that the train must slow down towards the end of the journey.

Finishing the remaining 106 kilometres (66 miles) will cost around 1.7 billion euros and will cut the journey time further, to 1 hour and 50 minutes. It is expected to be finished by 2015.

The link will be the French part of the broader European Magistrale project to improve transport connections between western and eastern Europe. The plan aims to carry passengers directly and quickly between Paris and eastern European cities such as Budapest and Bratislava.