Berlin-Paris high speed rail route launched

The first direct high-speed rail link between Paris and Berlin was launched on Monday.

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.

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.

kb (AP, AFP)