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But when the National Railway System decided to throw a bash for the 25th anniversary of its high-speed train, the TGV,
the public responded with love letters and poems and near unanimous praise.
And if celebrating a train seems, well, odd, you have to understand how much they are convinced here that the TGV, "Le Train a Grand Vitesse," has changed the country.
France became smaller, smaller and smaller, and the major towns around Paris at 500 kilometers, say 300 miles, became closer to Paris, only one, two or three hours.
So this made [meant] that people left Paris and went to live in the country.
For the past 15 years, one of those people has been Stephan Aden,
whose home and office are 180 kilometers -- about 110 miles -- apart.
But on the TGV that's a 45-minute ride.
So he thinks nothing of commuting into Paris on a daily basis from his home in the small town of Vendome.
And there are about 400 other people from Vendome doing exactly what Aden does, even though a monthly ticket costs around $600.
In exchange for those costs of commuting, Aden gets a large home with a yard, overlooking a river valley, something not available in the Paris area.
But the TGV has done more than create long-distance bedroom communities.
It has encouraged connections between far-flung businesses and home offices, and in some cases brought new employment to rural communities.
The deputy mayor of Vendome says the town has been able to create jobs and become part of the global economy because of its high-speed link.
The town takes pride in playing a part in the high-speed train's history.
It was here back in 1990 that the TGV became the fastest train on rails at 515 kilometers, that's 320 miles, an hour. The record stands today.
There's also a less tangible benefit to the TGV than economic impacts or speed records.
It brings parts of France closer together.
And with similar trains to England, Belgium, Holland and, soon, Germany, much of Europe closer together, too.
The director of the TGV has hoped his train is fostering a sense of community, as he puts it: "a TGV way of life."
A way of life which now includes,
for a small extra charge, of course, the possibility of what might be called TGV matchmaking, where passengers of similar interests are seated next to each other.
Despite his years of commuting, Aden says he still looks forward to his daily ride on the TGV.
We are lucky to have it, he says.
A good many of the other 1.2 billion people who've ridden the TGV over the past 25 years would probably agree.
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原來是CNN的文章...
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