A new high-speed train linking Berling and Paris starts operating today, with daily services scheduled in both directions.
Until now, the German and French capitals were only connected through either a daytime service that requires at least one train change along the way or a night service that only runs three times a week. The former takes from 9 to 10.5 hours, while the latter over 13 hours. The new connection now offers a direct service that runs every day and only takes 8 hours “from city centre to city centre”.
The maiden journey took place earlier today. The train, operated in collaboration by the German and French rail operators, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and SNCF respectively, departed the Berlin Hauptbahnhof station at 12:02 pm and was saw off, among representatives of both companies, by François Delattre, the French ambassador to Germany, and Kai Wegner, the Governing Mayor of Berlin.
The good German-French cooperation is the backbone of a united Europe. The new ICE direct connection between Berlin and Paris is a symbol of this.
Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn
“Rail traffic between the two countries is constantly increasing, in a context in which environmental issues are becoming increasingly important”, Delattre said at the inauguration ceremony. “One year after the launch of the night train between Paris and Berlin, the inauguration of this line is a strong signal. It underlines the excellent relations between Deutsche Bahn and SNCF, the strong cooperation between France and Germany and brings our peoples closer together.”
With the new collaboration between the two rail operators, the journey will become a lot more user friendly. The train will run between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Paris Gare de L’Est, stopping along the way in Frankfurt South, Karlsruhe and Strasbourg. The daily service will depart the Gare de l’Est station in Paris at 9:55 am and reach Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 6:03 pm, while in the opposite direction the train will leave Berlin at 11:54 am and arrive in Paris at 7:55 pm.
“The high-speed connection between Paris and Berlin is a milestone in the 17-year-long cooperation between DB and SNCF. It contributes to a common goal of our two countries: more CO₂-free mobility”, commented Jean-Baptiste Guenot, Head of European Markets & International Development SNCF Voyageurs.
Each train has a capacity of 530 passengers and tickets are already on sale for up to a year in advance, with second class fares starting at €59 and first class tickets starting at €69. The price range allows the service to compete with the flight connections between the two cities bringing voyagers’ carbon footprint down from 200 kilograms of CO2 emissions to just 2 kilograms.
