I was on the first Paris to Berlin direct high-speed train

Glad I live in Karlsruhe so I don’t have to spend much time on the slow German part when going to Paris

The first high-speed rail service between Paris and Berlin began on Monday, 16 December 2024 [1][2][3]. I was on the inaugural train, ICE 9591, which departed from Paris Gare de l’Est at 09:55 and arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 17:58, taking around eight hours.

I arrived well in advance before the departure time, taking in the beautiful architecture at Gare de l’Est. After a welcome party and press conference, I joined the media, railway industry officials and some lucky regular travellers and boarded a smartly presented DB Class 407 Velaro D ICE train at platform 29. We departed from Paris Gare de l’Est to much fanfare, quickly rocketing to 320 km/h on the LGV Est high-speed line. We reached Strasbourg in just one hour and 45 minutes, where there was a brief pause as dignitaries posed with French, German and EU flags at the front of the train for photographs, where Deutsche Bahn had applied branding commemorating the new service.

After Strasbourg, we crossed the Rhine into Germany, passing Kehl without stopping. Progress across the German countryside was much more measured than in France, with slower speeds on upgraded and conventional lines. We passed through the flatlands, with views of the Black Forest to the east, before stopping at Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof.

After Karlsruhe, we ran along the Odenwald. Upon entering Frankfurt am Main, we stopped at Frankfurt Main (Süd), the city’s secondary station for long-distance trains in the Sachsenhausen district.

Beyond Frankfurt, the train followed the main rail routes towards the Fulda Gap, taking advantage of a lowland route between the higher Vogelsberg and Rhön uplands. After passing through Kassel, we picked up the high-speed line towards Hannover. Just before Hannover, we swung east and headed towards Berlin, passing Wolfsburg before making a set-down stop at Berlin-Spandau in the West Berlin suburbs.

We arrived a few minutes early at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, stopping at platform one on the lower level. There was a low-profile but joyous celebration as the train crew posed for photographs and passengers took turns to be photographed at the front of the train.

The new train service is a symbolic link between the capitals of the EU’s two most popular states and is also part of a broader renaissance of cross-border European rail travel. Deutsche Bahn and SNCF operate the service with French and German staff. It is also the first-ever direct train connection between Berlin and Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament. Paris to Berlin is about 880 km as the crow flies, and the train travels about 1,100 km. With a journey time of eight hours, the train averages around 137.5 km/h, which is not an exceptionally high speed by any stretch of the imagination. Much of this is due to the lower line speeds of upgraded lines in Germany.

The new ICE train service departs from Paris Gare de l’Est at 09:55 as ICE 9591 and from Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 11:54 as ICE 9590. Second class fares start at €59.99, and first class fares start at €69.99.

I took videos of the inaugural train from Paris to Berlin [4] and the second train from Berlin to Paris [5] the next day, 17 December.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2024/dec/24/paris-to-berlin-by-train-faster-service-via-strasbourg

[2] https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2024/12/16/paris-berlin-express-new-rail-link-throws-down-gauntlet-to-airlines/

[3] https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-paris-high-speed-rail-route-launched/a-71069267

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dykctve63tI

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjD-HGLOf_s

Does Germany have any plan to make their rails faster?

I’d love for one day to have Denmark included.

What did it cost?

That is genuinly awesome

Does it go through Belgium?

meanwhile, the british government can’t even build a HSR network between its most populated cities

How many hours were you delayed?

Does the train have recline chairs? Can you sleep?

60 Euros, 8 hours. Easyjet can get me there in 1h45min, 3 hours counting security checks, for 25 Olafs. And they have 2 daily flights. Unless they make it at least the same price, why would anyone waste their time?

it could have been even quicker but Paris demanded it go through Strasbourg. And of course the issues with DB are well known

Looks like you were off it from the pic

How much was the ride?

Trump foaming at the mouth as he sees an ICE bullet train that crosses international borders. Deportations faster than a speeding bullet.. train

How much delay?

how much did it cost?? i mean the ticket

Was your heart pumping for love?

From Paris to Berlin
And every disco I get in
My heart is pumping for love
Pumping for love
‘Cause when I’m thinking of you
And all the things we could do
My heart is pumping for love
You left me longing for you