Two major European players have partnered for a new high-speed rail route that further solidifies their connection.
France and Germany are the most populous countries and largest economies on the continent, Newsweek reported. The route between their capitals of Paris and Berlin is a daytime version of a three-day-a-week nighttime shuttle that relaunched in 2023 after a 10-year hiatus, according to Agence France-Presse, via France 24.
It also improves a trek that now takes nine to 10.5 hours with a connection, Euronews reported. The direct route — with stops in Strasbourg, Frankfurt, and Karlsruhe — is over five hours faster than the 13-hour overnight journey. Tickets cost $26 to $104.
The nations' railway companies, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français and Deutsche Bahn, service 30 million trips between France and Germany. This one is about 1,100 kilometers, and the train reaches top speeds of 155 to 199 mph.
This method of transportation creates just one-hundredth of the pollution that plane travel between the cities does. There are 444 seats on the Deutsche Bahn Intercity Express 3 trains, including 111 in first class.
High-speed rail is gaining ground as people reconsider the way they travel. Gas-powered automobiles and planes contribute to the rising global temperature by releasing heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, negatively impacting human health, wildlife, and the environment.
China is a worldwide leader in the industry, while the United States is starting to build out infrastructure. In Europe, similar new direct routes are in the works, including between Munich and Amsterdam, The Associated Press reported.
French and German officials highlighted their strong relationship and commitment to a cleaner, greener future.
"This creation of a link is part of a common objective of our two countries: to promote carbon-free mobility," SNCF's Alain Krakovitch previously said.
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German Transport Minister Volker Wissing added, "We still have a lot of potential to get as many people as possible onto the rails inside Europe with attractive offers."
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