BERLIN AP β Germany and France on Monday launched a direct high-speed train between Berlin and Paris, a connection hailed as a symbol of a close friendship between the two countries and a sign of Europe's potential to attract more travelers to the rails.
The bullet train, however, is unlikely to be a game-changer. At about eight hours, the once-a-day service with German operator Deutsche Bahn's ICE trains offers an increase in convenience rather than any major time saving compared with other, indirect connections.
The launch comes as Deutsche Bahn works to shed its reputation for the unreliability it has built up over recent years. A key part of that is a campaign to modernize dozens of stretches of railway. The government blames long-term underinvestment by its predecessors for problems with the railway.
The new train stops en route in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and the French city of Strasbourg, one of the European Parliament's homes. The westbound train is scheduled to arrive in Paris just before 8 p. There is also a slower direct overnight train between the two capitals, three times a week. Deutsche Bahn ended its sleeper service on the route 10 years ago.
Among other things this time around, there's also a new direct high-speed train connection between Munich and Amsterdam, a seven-hour journey. Germany and France are the European Union's two most populous countries and its biggest economies. Amtrak said the train was traveling from San Jose to Sacramento when it came into contact with the motorcycle.
