EUROPE: Plans for the launch of a daily direct ICE train service between Paris and Berlin have been presented by SNCF TGV-Intercités CEO Alain Krakovitch and DB Personenverkehr CEO Michael Peterson at InnoTrans.
Booking is to open on October 16 and the service will begin on December 16. Fares will start at €59 in standard class and €69 in first.
The journey time will be around 8 h, calling at Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt Süd. The service will use high speed lines from Paris to Strasbourg and from Frankfurt to Berlin.
The service is being targeted at both leisure and business travellers, with the operators highlighting the environmental benefits of the rail journey producing 2 kg of CO2, compared to 200 kg when flying.
The service will offer 320 000 seats a year. If it proves a success, additional services could be added.
It will be operated through the Alleo partnership between SNCF and DB, with both French and German onboard staff.
Speaking at InnoTrans on September 24, Krakovitch said Alleo ‘has been a success since 2007’, transporting 32 million passengers since its launch including 24 million international passengers. Ridership has grown 4% in 2024, he said, and the occupancy rate is 81%.
