Extinction Rebellion Global
Paris and Berlin are now linked with an 8 hour daily rail service, that starts at €59. It produces 100th of the emissions of flying between the cities.
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/12/13/high-speed-train-from-paris-to-berlin-to-launch-this-winter-with-daily-connections-from-59
High-speed Paris-Berlin daily train service debuts

The route is the first directly linking the two capitals' city centres.

euronews
Dec 31, 2024 at 5:03amWeb
Show threadJukka NiiranenDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR Just in time for the 20y celebration of this track by #Infernal. 🥳
https://youtu.be/pd9Jbs2UsTU?si=7ZB1N7CAgi30gdYo
Infernal - From Paris To Berlin

YouTube
Show threadRouven MaleckiDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR Now they need to cut the travel time by 2 hours and it would also be _faster_ than (door-to-door) flying. That would convince even those who stubbornly don’t care about emissions.
Show threadTor LillqvistDec 31, 2024
@writescode @ExtinctionR It will take time to build more high-speed railways in Germany, for instance in the direction of Paris. Germany has a very different structure and history than France, as I am sure you very well know. The high-speed railway network in France consists of lines radiating outward from Paris. Not so in Germany, Berlin has clearly less significance, for obvious reasons. Many other cities are almost as large and have equal economic importance.
Show threadTor LillqvistDec 31, 2024
@writescode @ExtinctionR For instance Frankfurt is also a very important city, and it has six daily direct train services to Paris, taking less than four hours, city centre to city centre.
Show threadFranciscoDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR 8 hrs for 800 km. That's to damn long! Why call it a high speed service?
Show threadTor LillqvistDec 31, 2024

@franciscos @ExtinctionR It is only the press that (sadly) emphasises the (partial) high-speed aspect.

The main point with this new service is that it is direct, you don't need to change trains. The trains themselves run as fast as is permitted on each line sections. Some are high-speed, some are not. No new railways have been built specifically for this.

As such, travelling between Paris and Berlin with one simple change is not hard at all. One should not be afraid of having to change trains.

Show threadYan VogelDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR approx 1000 km in 8 hours, ridiculous. Sevilla -Barcelona, similar distance, with a change takes 5 hrs.
Show threadMark MasonDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR I note that it is direct to city stations not out of town airports so 8 hrs isn’t bad compared to train-fly-train. Also there are additional stops en route.
Show threadPhilDec 31, 2024
@markmason @ExtinctionR The additional stops are pretty minimal. Strasbourg and Karlsruhe are the two "last stations just across the borders" and Frankfurt you need for operational reasons (switching personnel).
Show threadAlexander Goeres 𒀯Dec 31, 2024
@Extinction Rebellion Global i don't think 8 hrs is too long from berlin hbf to paris gare de l'est. but this connection involves deutsche bahn! and deutsche bahn is only real when they can break the service. end of april the connection berlin-paris will stop at frankfurt ... the real db experience!
Show threadVirginia HollowayDec 31, 2024

@ExtinctionR

It's half that distance between Buffalo, NY and NYC and it takes the train at least an hour longer. 😭

Show threadxs4me2Dec 31, 2024

@ExtinctionR

And very comfortably so I can tell you!

Show threadAuxenthicAutosHubDec 31, 2024

@ExtinctionR

Reducing emissions by that much is a huge step forward. And it's not just trains making progress - according to a recent BBC report posted on our Mastodon account ( https://mastodon.social/@AuxenthicAutos/113746075264323729 ), electric cars have also shown promising results, with significant growth expected by the end of 2024.

Show threadLe ChepDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR and it could divide its electricity further by 5 or more if Germany had not wrecked, but instead expanded, its decarbonized electricity generation reactor fleet.
Show threadPēteris KrišjānisDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR despite all problems, I love European trains.
Show threadRide TheoryDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR I remember reading, years ago, that Europe's goal was to use rail to eliminate short-hop flights. Meanwhile, in the USA, we're struggling to get interurban light rail service to the airport.
Show threadLeefeller GuyDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR So, then Private jets are faster?
Show threadAsta McCarthyDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR And you can have a beer onboard 🍻
Show threadMarcus Marcius MarcellusDec 31, 2024
@ExtinctionR And guys, Frankfurt-Paris by train is a hair under 4 hours, which is more or less exactly what it takes to fly when you figure in get-out-to-airport-go-through-security-stand-around-waiting-to-board-fly-get-your-bags-get-into-town-from-airport time. Cheaper, far fewer emissions, roomier and more comfortable AND you step in at Frankfurt HBf and out at the Gare du feckin’ Est! What’s not to love???
Show threadequiJan 1, 2025
@ExtinctionR
I wonder if this 59eur price will be as mythical as the advertised Amsterdam-Paris tickets for 39 eur. Whenever I actually want to go for, say, a weekend, it's always something like 300 eur for a roundtrip. For one person. Yes, more expensive than driving, including a day of parking and the highway toll!
Which is extremely sad.
Show threadKevin Karhan Jan 2, 2025

@ExtinctionR Still quite late and the €59 isn't a guaranteed price but starting excl. mandatory seat reservation (on the french leg of the journey).

  • Needless to say Cologne-Paris has been on offer with #Thalys for two decades starting €39 and taking merely 3h15m.