Paris and Berlin will be connected by a new direct high-speed rail line starting Monday, reducing travel time to eight hours.
The new service, with one train per day in each direction, will be inaugurated on Monday with a departure from Paris Gare de l’Est at 09:55, arriving in Berlin at 18:03.
The launch event will feature SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou and Deutsche Bahn (DB) Production Director Anja Shöllman.
No ministers will attend due to the interim government situation awaiting the appointment of François Bayrou’s new cabinet.
An inaugural train will leave Berlin at 11:54, also with top executives from both railway companies present, arriving in Paris eight hours later at 19:54.
"For the first time in the railway history between the two countries,” the two capitals “will be directly linked from city centre to city centre at high speed," stated SNCF.
The service will be operated by German ICE high-speed trains rather than French TGVs. Stops will include Strasbourg in France, and Karlsruhe and Frankfurt in Germany.
Currently, there is no direct train between Paris and Berlin; the journey requires over eight hours and at least one transfer.
Ticket prices start at €59.99 for second class and €69.99 for first class. Both rail companies highlight the ecological advantage, stating that a Paris-Berlin train journey emits 2kg of CO2 per passenger, compared to 200kg for a flight.
