BERLIN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural direct ICE high-speed train connecting Berlin and Paris departed from the German capital on Monday.

The train left Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main station) shortly after noon and is scheduled to arrive in Paris at 7:55 p.m., following an approximately eight-hour journey with stops in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, and Strasbourg. In the reverse direction, trains depart Paris at 9:55 a.m. and reach Berlin at 6:03 p.m.

This new service is jointly operated by German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and SNCF Voyageurs, the passenger train division of French national railway company SNCF.

Tickets start at 59.99 euros (approximately 63 U.S. dollars) for second class and 69.99 euros for first class. According to Deutsche Bahn, demand has been strong, with nearly three-quarters of bookings covering the entire route between the two capitals.

Previously, direct travel between Berlin and Paris was only possible via a night train, which took around 14 hours, German news agency dpa reported.

Since 2007, approximately 33 million passengers have traveled on German-French high-speed rail services. With the introduction of this direct ICE route, the number of daily high-speed rail connections between the two countries has increased from 24 to 26. (1 euro = 1.06 U.S. dollars) Enditem

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