France’s new high-speed trains
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France’s new high-speed trains
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Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#2You can do a lot with electric trains where electricity is cheap (75% nuclear generation).
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#3You can do a lot with electric trains where electricity is cheap (75% nuclear generation).
Except when the transformer next to its central artery (aorta?) and maintenance facility gets too hot:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20180727/fire-blocks-montparnasse-tr...
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#4Related, in France as well: Hyperloop TT is developing, in Toulouse, the futuristic hyperloop idea: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/26/hyperloop-firm-unveils-first...
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#5The author mentions the similarity between the name InOui and "ennui" (boredom), but seem to ignore that "inouï" is an actual word that means unprecedented/incredible/unheard-of.
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#6The author mentions the similarity between the name InOui and "ennui" (boredom), but seem to ignore that "inouï" is an actual word that means unprecedented/incredible/unheard-of. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inou%C3%AF
Yeah -- I'm French and I had never realized that "inoui" was somewhat close to "ennui". In French pronunciation the two first vowels are really different ("ennui" in French starts with a nasal 'a' sound which doesn't resemble an 'i' at all, to French ears at least).
Another point missed by the article is that in French "ennui" usually doesn't have the philosophical undertones that it has in English. Outside of a philosophical context, in French "ennui" (as a feeling) just means "boredom" and that's it. In everyday French you also use "ennui" to mean an annoyance or trouble, i.e., "avoir des ennuis" means "run into trouble", or "l'ennui c'est que ..." means "the problem is that..."
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#7Worth remembering that France hasn't fared very well in rail competition lately: the French-Government-controlled Eurostar chose the Velaro train sets from German Siemens to replace the existing TGV-derived train sets.
It sparked a national outrage (because a company controlled by the French government should, in their opinion, only buy French) and a lawsuit from Alston (who makes the TGV).
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#8Worth remembering that France hasn't fared very well in rail competition lately: the French-Government-controlled Eurostar chose the Velaro train sets from German Siemens to replace the existing TGV-derived train sets. It sparked a national outrage (because a company controlled by the French government should, in their opinion, only buy French) and a lawsuit from Alston (who makes the TGV).
If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive, I’d be upset if the government gave a leg up to the competition given the strong unions and jobs the TGV provides. It may save a buck or two but it also is a blow against local producers.
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#9Worth remembering that France hasn't fared very well in rail competition lately: the French-Government-controlled Eurostar chose the Velaro train sets from German Siemens to replace the existing TGV-derived train sets. It sparked a national outrage (because a company controlled by the French government should, in their opinion, only buy French) and a lawsuit from Alston (who makes the TGV).
If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive, I’d be upset if the government gave a leg up to the competition given the strong unions and jobs the TGV provides. It may save a buck or two but it also is a blow against local producers.
You're essentially advocating for tariffs and "buy local" requirements.
Not only they are bad for the economy, they're also mostly illegal in the EU.
> If I were French and our rolling stock were competitive
Well, it just wasn't as competitive as the German one.
Re: France’s new high-speed trains
#10The author mentions the similarity between the name InOui and "ennui" (boredom), but seem to ignore that "inouï" is an actual word that means unprecedented/incredible/unheard-of. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inou%C3%AF
Thinking "ennui" and "inouï" sound similar is a bit like a non-native English speaker finding it hard to distinguish between "bottom" and "button". The vowels may sound similar to outsiders, but are completely different to French ears.
(I'm not French, but I speak the language well enough to feel confident making assertions like this about what things sound like to French people).