At InnoTrans 2024, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and SNCF Voyageurs announced the launch of a direct high-speed ICE service from Berlin to Paris.
From 16 December 2024, the new connection will link the two capitals in just eight hours, with trains passing through Frankfurt South, Karlsruhe, and Strasbourg.
The route will connect the city centres of Berlin and Paris, further enhancing international rail links in line with DB’s Strong Rail strategy to expand cross-border services.
This also marks the first direct daytime route to operate between Berlin and Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament.
Tickets for the journey will be available from 59.99 EUR for second class and 69.99 EUR for first class. Ticket sales begin on 16 October.
The new service was announced at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin by Michael Peterson, DB Board Member for Long-Distance Passenger Transport, and Alain Krakovitch, Director of TGV-INTERCITÉS at SNCF Voyageurs.
“SNCF Voyageurs and DB are sending a strong signal for Europe's integration by rail. The new ICE connection will give a further boost to the booming international long-distance traffic. We will continue to work with our cooperation partners to enable more and better international rail connections. This is the only way Europe can achieve its climate goals.”
The ICE service will depart Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 11:54 am and will arrive in Paris Est at 7:55 pm. The return journey will leave Paris at 9:55 am and reach Berlin at 6:03 pm.
The train will travel at speeds of up to 320 km/h on the French LGV Est line. It has 444 seats, 111 of which are in first class.
This new service is part of a long-standing cooperation between DB and SNCF that began in 2007, facilitating high-speed travel between Germany and France.
“This new connection is further proof of the Franco-German friendship and contributes to a common goal of our two countries: more CO2-free mobility. For SNCF Voyageurs, this connection is part of our ambitions: we are present in long-distance transport in Spain, Italy, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Austria and believe in growth in Europe. This summer, more than 20 percent of our customers traveled on our cross-border or intra-European services.”
