Direct Berlin–Paris rail service set to resume by December

Trains between Berlin and Paris are expected to be running without interruption again by mid-December at the latest. 

"An exact date can only be given once the relevant tests have been completed," the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn stated in response to an enquiry on Thursday. 

The service has been suspended since the summer due to technical problems. Anyone wishing to travel by the high-speed ICE train from one capital to the other must therefore change trains in Frankfurt or Mannheim. 

Deutsche Bahn says the specific issue concerns difficulties with the European Train Control System (ETCS), which was installed on the company’s trains on this route by the rail transport systems manufacturer Alstom.

Deutsche Bahn has been offering the direct service between Paris and Berlin since December 2024. The route is extremely popular despite a journey time of just under eight hours.