New high-speed train line Paris-Berlin inaugurated

For the first time, on Monday, high-speed trains connected Paris and Berlin. Deutsche Bahn’s ICE high-speed trains, which have 444 seats, make the daily connection, which will take about eight hours.

The new line is not the first direct connection between Berlin and Paris. Since the end of 2023, there has also been a night train between the two capitals, operated by the Austrian railroad company ÖBB. However, That connection, which lasts some 14 hours, is interrupted until the end of October.

Attracting “slow travel” enthusiasts

However, the big challenge will be convincing people to choose the train over a faster and often cheaper trip by plane. To that end, French rail operator SNCF Voyageurs and German operator Deutsche Bahn are emphasizing the environmental friendliness of rail.

For example, they say a train ride between the two capitals, separated by 1,100 kilometers, emits 2 kg of CO2 per passenger, compared to 200 kg for air travel. “People will also have to embrace the idea that the eight-hour journey represents a different lifestyle,” the rail companies said.

Bookings are running very well

This is a tricky problem, though: in Germany, more than a third of high-speed trains arrived late in 2023, and closures of large sections of lines for maintenance or repair work have become the norm for passengers. However, according to SNCF, bookings are running very well, and there is already a current occupancy rate of more than 80%.

Trains will leave Berlin at 11:54 a.m. and arrive in Paris at 7:55 p.m. Departure from Paris is scheduled for 9:55 a.m., with arrival in Berlin at 6:03 p.m. Along the way, there are stops in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, and Strasbourg. Train speed on the German network is about 260 km/h, compared with 320 in France. Ticket prices start from 59,99 in the second class.

Still, 20,000 km of high-speed lines needed

The European Union aims to double international high-speed rail traffic on the continent by 2030 and triple it by 250 to meet its climate commitments. This means adding 20,000 km of high-speed lines to the continent’s current 11,300 km by 2050.

However, to achieve this, the continent has major projects ahead, starting with the expansion of a standardized signaling system.