> Isn't that the case already? Or are the high-speed trains that go from Paris to Belgium / Netherlands / Italy / Spain just regular speed outside of France? I'

> Isn't that the case already? Or are the high-speed trains that go from Paris to Belgium / Netherlands / Italy / Spain just regular speed outside of France? I'm quite sure, at least the ones going North (UK/BE/NL) use the same tracks as the trains doing Paris-Lille (city in the North of France, close to Belgium). Yes they are, but that's only the high speed lines. In the Netherlands we have just one, towards Belgium and it's construction was extremely costly and troublesome. It has not delivered on it's promises, one planned service has been within the first year. Towards the East we don't have any, and yes the ICEs from there run at slow speeds in the Netherlands.