New train service to link Berlin and Paris by December

A new direct train service is set to link Berlin and Paris in a travel time of around eight hours, Germany's rail operator Deutsche Bahn told dpa on Tuesday, with the first journey due to launch as soon as December, reported dpa.

"For the first time, the two capitals will be connected by daytime high-speed rail," the national railway company said.

A sleeper service has been running between the two cities since late 2023, operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

The new route is to be offered by Deutsche Bahn along with France's SNCF, with the companies expected to present details at a trade fair in Berlin later on Tuesday.

Deutsche Bahn and SNCF have been operating joint high-speed rail services since 2007, when long-distance ICE and TGV trains began running between Paris and the German cities of Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

A daily service has also been in operation on the line between Frankfurt and Marseille in southern France since 2012, while a further weekend connection to the south-western French city of Bordeaux was also launched in 2023.