This December 17 at 9:55 a.m., a train like no other left the Gare de l’Est in Paris. It has in fact taken the direction of Berlin, in order to directly connect the French and German capitals. Responding to growing demand for cross-border journeys, this new line marks a notable step in the European Union’s (EU) ambitions to strengthen its rail ecosystem.
A historic first
This is the very first time that a line connects Paris to Berlin, “ city center to city center, at high speed », assures the SNCF. Currently, a night train already makes the connection between the two metropolises, but the connection is regularly interrupted, in particular due to works, indicates FranceTV Info. The journey also lasts 13 hours, the device not being at high speed.
One train a day, in each direction
The new TGV covers the 1,100 kilometers that separate the two metropolises in 8 hours. Two routes will be available daily: the first connecting Paris to Berlin, and the second in the other direction.
Journeys operated by German trains
It is not the TGVs, but rather the German high-speed trains, the ICE, which will be operated on this line.
Three other stations served
Between Paris and Berlin, the ICE will stop in Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt.
More expensive than flying
Starting prices for this new train are 59 euros for second class, and 69 euros for first class. However, they will be adapted to the train occupancy rate. They may also vary depending on the reservation date.
It is nevertheless more expensive than the plane. A round trip over a week in March costs 198 euros, compared to 82 euros by air transport via the British company Easyjet, note BFMTV.
It’s ecological
And this is the argument put forward by SNCF and Deutsche Bahn, its equivalent across the Rhine. According to them, a train journey between Paris and Berlin emits 100 times less CO2 than a plane journey.
Strengthening Franco-German rail links
With the arrival of this new train, there are now 26 journeys per day between Germany and France, in addition to connections between Paris and Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart. Journeys linking Frankfurt to Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux are also offered.
One more step towards meeting EU commitments
This new line marks a step forward for the EU, in its ambition to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030. It even wants to triple it by 2050, in order to respect its climate commitments.
This should notably involve a single ticket reservation system for the entire European Union. Likewise, a standardized signaling system must be adopted.
