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German-French rail operators, DB and SNCF, launch new high speed rail route, boosting connectivity between Berlin and Paris
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New high speed rail route symbolizes German-French friendship and cooperation
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Berlin-Paris high speed rail route is the backbone of a united Europe’: Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn
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The journey time from city centre to city centre takes around eight hours.
By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia
Berlin: Symbolizing German-French friendship and cooperation, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) and France’s SNCF have launched a new high speed rail route, boosting connectivity between Berlin and Paris.
The new high speed rail route also marks the first direct connectivity during the day between Berlin and the Alsatian metropolis, the headquarters of the European Parliament.
According to official sources, the journey time from city centre to city centre takes around eight hours, with the trains travelling via Frankfurt South, Karlsruhe, and Strasbourg.
A German ICE train, left the French capital’s Gare de l’Est station at 9:55 a.m. (0855 GMT) and was due at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 6:03 p.m.
“In 8 hours, you can travel from the German to the French capital via Frankfurt South, Karlsruhe and Strasbourg,” Deutsche Bahn said in a post on social media platform X.
The once-a-day service with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) high-speed ICE train — operated in collaboration with France’s SNCF — comes amid a strong appetite for more rail options.
- Berlin-Paris high speed rail route is the backbone of a united Europe’: Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn
“Good German-French cooperation is the backbone of a united Europe,” said Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn at the launch. “The new direct ICE connection between Berlin and Paris is a symbol of this. We are thus offering our passengers another highlight in international long-distance transport.
“More and more people are choosing to travel by rail when travelling through Europe thanks to attractive offers,” he added. “In doing so, we are also strengthening our profitability in the spirit of the S3 restructuring programme.”
Transport Minister of Germany said the new route was about “much more” than adding another service between the two countries: “It is about encounters, exchanges, growing together and mutual understanding. It is about a living friendship. As a new study by my department shows, we still have a lot of potential here to attract as many people as possible to take longer journeys by rail within Europe and to live this friendship with attractive offers.”
SNCF Voyageurs and DB have been running high-speed ICE and TGV services between Germany and France since 2007, but there has never been a direct link between the two capitals.
The opening of new HS route was attended by DB CEO Richard Lutz, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, and SNCF Voyageurs’ Jean-Baptiste Guenot at Berlin Central Station.
Symbol of German-French ‘friendship’
Germany and France are the European Union’s two most populous countries and also the largest economies.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner hailed the new rail route and said it “is also a good symbol of the German-French friendship.”
The launch comes as DB works to distance itself from its reputation for unreliability. In November the rail operator said that only 60% of its long-distance trains arrived at their destination punctually, defined as under six minutes late.
DB wants to improve the figures by 2027 and is aiming for punctuality of more than 75%.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said he was hopeful that “improvements in punctuality and quality promised by the DB will come to fruition.”
A one-way ticket for the 1,100- kilometre journey costs from €24.99 ($26.23) to upwards of €99 ($104) and more depending on class or ticket and demand.
- Tickets and times for the journey from Berlin to Paris
Tickets including seat reservation for the journey from Berlin to Paris are available from 59.99 euros in 2nd class and 69.99 euros in 1st class, with DB stating that almost three-quarters of its offers had already been booked up, “underlining the attractiveness of this new European connection.”
The ICE departs Berlin Central Station at 12:02 p.m. and reaches Paris Est at 7:55 p.m., with stops at Frankfurt/Main South at 3:52 p.m., Karlsruhe Central Station at 5:06 p.m., and Strasbourg at 5:53 p.m. It leaves the French capital at 9:55 a.m. and arrives in Berlin at 6:03 p.m., again via Strasbourg at 11:40 a.m., Karlsruhe at 12:34 p.m., and Frankfurt/Main South at 2:04 p.m.
An ICE 3 from the 407 series is being used for the service, which has long been part of high-speed traffic between Germany and France. The train has 444 seats, 111 of which are in first class, and reaches a maximum speed of 320 kilometres per hour on the French high-speed line LGV Est. With the direct ICE Berlin–Paris, the number of daily high-speed journeys between Germany and France has now increased from 24 to 26, corresponding to over 320,000 additional seats per year.
- Direct high-speed train connectivity between Paris and Berlin
The absence of a direct high-speed train connectivity between Paris and Berlin until recently can be attributed to many factors. The fact that the two cities are approximately 1,050 km (650 miles) apart has long made air travel more appealing for the trip.
Meanwhile, France and Germany developed their high-speed rail networks independently, prioritising domestic connections over cross-border routes, particularly for such long trips.
Germany’s ICE system had long concentrated on easier connections with Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands, while France looked to Switzerland, Belgium, and Spain.
However, with the EU’s growing focus on shifting to greener mobility options, a boost in popularity for rail travel, and a concerted push to integrate what were once different power supply standards, track gauges, and signalling technologies, the two state-backed operators last year decided it was time to make the link. While the journey is still comparatively long in contrast to air travel, it is important to remember that the trip cuts out airport time and will take travellers straight into the respective city centres.
