MEPs gravy train

A gleaming new, high-speed train solely for members of the European Parliament launches today - which risks giving new meaning to the term "gravy train".

The service, linking Brussels with the French city of Strasbourg, is being inaugurated by France in the hope of stamping out criticism of the "travelling circus" that sees the entire European Parliament uproot to the Alsace region for one week a month at a cost of ¬200 million ($415 million) a year.

France argues the train will make the relocation cheaper and eco-friendlier by replacing six charter flights.