French train company SNCF has today launched a new direct TGV service between Paris and Berlin, which links the two capitals in eight hours.
This is the first service to directly link the two European cities, and is a partnership between SNCF Voyageurs and German train company Deutsche Bahn.
Both companies have lauded the ecological benefits of the journey, with one train journey emitting two kilos of CO2 per passenger, versus 200 kilos for the same trip by plane.
“For the first time in the rail history of these two countries, [the two capitals] will be directly linked from city centre to city centre, at high-speed,” said a statement from SNCF.
The train will reach a top speed of 320 km/h.
The new service is shown by the solid red line on the map aboveSNCF-Voyageurs.fr
How much are tickets?
Tickets start at €59.99 for a standard class seat, and €69.99 for a first class seat.
Booking has been open since October 16 on both the SNCF and Deutsche Bahn websites, with tickets available up to six months in advance.
How many journeys are there?
There will be one journey per day in each direction.
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The train will depart from Paris Gare de l’Est. In France, the train will stop at Strasbourg before crossing the border. In Germany, as well as Berlin, it will stop at Frankfurt and Karlsruhe.
The train times are as follows:
From Paris: 09:55 departure, arriving at 18:03 in Berlin
From Berlin: 11:54 departure, arriving at 19:54 in Paris
Which trains are being used?
The trains used are German ICE engines (German high-speed trains), rather than French TGVs.
Among the passengers of the first journey will be SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou, and Anja Schöllmann, production manager at Deutsche Bahn.
