A new high-speed train service linking Paris and Berlin was launched on Monday – just in time for the Christmas travel season. Joint operators SNCF and Deutsche Bahn say they hope passengers will see it as a "greener" alternative to flying.
The service will run daily between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Paris Gare de l’Est, stopping in Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt Sud, with the journey taking about eight hours in total.
Until now, journeys between the two capitals involved several connections, taking anywhere up to 10 hours.
Named "ICE 3", the high-speed train offers 444 seats, including 111 in first class.
There will initially be just one service each day, leaving Paris at 9.55am and arriving in Berlin just after 6pm. The return trip will leave Berlin at 11.54am, arriving in Paris just before 8pm.
Seats went on sale in October, with fares starting from €59 for a one-way second-class ticket and €69 for first class.
Prices will fluctuate according to demand and passengers will now able to pre-book 12 months ahead, up from the current six.
German-owned Deutsche Bahn and France's SNCF began cooperating in 2007, and since then ICE and TGV trains have run between Frankfurt and Paris, and Stuttgart and Paris.
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Cleaner transport push
The new Berlin-Paris route has been highly anticipated for years, with train operators across Europe under pressure to increase their services amid a political push to persuade people to use greener transport options.
Deutsche Bahn board member Michael Peterson says the partnership sends a strong signal of the development of European rail travel. "With our cooperative partners, we continue to fully focus on growth to enable more quality international rail connections. This is the only way for Europe to achieve its climate goals."
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CEO Alain Krakovitch of SNCF welcomed the initiative as proof of the Franco-German commitment to a more connected and greener Europe.
SNCF points out that only 2kgs of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are generated by the new Paris-Berlin journey, compared to 200kgs of emissions for the same distance by plane.
With the addition of the new high-speed line, the rail operators will provide 26 daily connections between France and Germany, including links such as Paris-Stuttgart/Munich, Paris-Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Marseille and the seasonal summer service between Frankfurt and Bordeaux.
Night and day
The Paris-Berlin daytime link complements a night-time connection between the two capitals, managed by Austrian rail company OBB in partnership with SNCF and Deutsche Bahn.
The OBB Nightjet takes around 13 hours and 15 minutes but only departs three times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It was relaunched last year but has been beset by numerous technical problems.
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A study published by Transport and Environment, which advocates for cleaner transport across Europe, last week revealed performance rankings for 27 European rail operators.
The research looked at eight criteria on medium and long-distance routes. Price was the most important of these, but the study also considered reliability, discount programmes, compensation in the event of delays, passenger experience and the existence of night trains and bicycle spaces.
Deutsche Bahn, the largest train operator in Europe, ranked 25th in reliability and 16th overall. SNCF was fifth just behind OBB, while Italy's Trenitalia topped the list.
