The first express train on a new service connecting Berlin and Paris departed from the German capital on Monday.
The train, which set off from Berlin’s main station shortly after noon (1100 GMT), is expected to arrive in the French capital some eight hours later at 7:55 pm following stops in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Strasbourg.
The head of Germany’s national railway operator Deutsche Bahn, Richard Lutz, Transport Minister Volker Wissing and the French ambassador in Germany, François Delattre, were all in attendance to witness the historic departure.
“Good Franco-German cooperation is the backbone of a united Europe. The new direct [Intercity-Express] connection between Berlin and Paris is a symbol of this,” Deutsche Bahn chief executive Lutz was quoted as saying in a statement.
Ambassador Delattre said the new service underlines the strong ties between France and Germany and brings the populations closer together.
Transport Minister Wissing said: “It’s about encounters, exchange, growing together and mutual understanding. It’s about friendship in action.”
The new line is operated in cooperation by Deutsche Bahn and France’s SNCF Voyageurs, a subsidiary of national railway company SNCF.
Tickets are available from €59.99 ($63) and have been selling fast, according to Deutsche Bahn.
Previously, Berlin and Paris were only directly connected via night train, which takes about 14 hours.
