Train go-ahead

BONN - Parliament has approved the building of the world's first commercial, high-speed magnetic train, moving passengers from Hamburg to Berlin at nearly the speed of a jet plane.

With Friday's go-ahead, the German government has pledged more than pounds 2bn to build the monorail system by 2004. Magnetschnellbahn, Siemens and AEG, a subsidiary of Daimler-Benz, will all invest in the magnetic trains. AP