If you take a top-of-the-line express train in America, nothing more modern than an electric shaver can even be plugged in much less have any practical use while onboard. 10 times as long as plane flights, more expensive and no computer use? Why aren't trains more popular here again?

Not the case in Europe. They are using technology from the European Space Agency to allow internet addicts to get their fix even in mass transit. Thalys is launching full commercial operations for a wireless broadband internet service on board high speed trains, the result of their project "Broadband to trains."

It enables the international railway company to deliver true broadband internet access to passengers travelling between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.

This ESA TV Exchanges feed is transmitted by the European Commission's "Europe by Satellite" (EbS) service. You can find the complete transmission schedule, download scripts and shot lists, also for ESA TV stories, from the EbS Web site at http://europa.eu.int/comm/ebs/schedule.cfm

This programme is also available in broadcast quality via ftp-transfer, from ftp://esatv-movies.e-vision.nl/thalys_MPEG_10-05-08_mpeg2ps.mpg - please use your userid auto_broadcast@alphagalileo.org and password pizswx9s for fetching the file from the ESA TV server.

Transmission details:
Sirius 2 at 4.8 degrees East, Transponder B1, Horizontal (Europe by Satellite)
F=11727.5 MHz, Symbol rate 27500 MS/sec, FEC 3/4
Audio pids: International sound=201 English=202

Replay 1 : May 13 : 13.00 - 13.10 GMT
Replay 2 : May 16 : 08.40 - 08.50 GMT

This program is also available in broadcast quality via ftp-transfer, from ftp://esatv-movies.e-vision.nl/thalys_MPEG_10-05-08_mpeg2ps.mpg - please use your userid auto_broadcast@alphagalileo.org and password pizswx9s for fetching the file from the ESA TV server. Please note that to download the file an FTP client application is required. You will find the most popular ones at http://television.esa.int

For the latest transmission schedule, go to http://television.esa.int.