Train operators hope to launch direct London-Bordeaux route

Direct trains linking London and the French wine capital of Bordeaux in just over four hours could run within two years, according to high-speed rail operators.The prospect of 200mph trains whisking UK travellers straight to south-west France has come a step closer after rail firms on both sides of the Channel said they were agreeing plans to develop the service, which would bypass Paris to join the recently completed line south of Tours.Eurostar, which recently started direct services from Lond