Paris - Berlin is 1h50min by plane and the direct train takes 8h17min using the direct train. For security checks you can add about 3h to the flight and a bit more as the train stations are probably close to the destination.
The main problem is a lack of hsr track in Germany. If that would be fixed, then trains would be faster then planes in practical terms. Paris - Marseille happens to be only a bit shorter and it is much faster in a train.
Yup, Germany needs better highspeed railways. It only takes 1h45 from Paris to Strasbourg which is roughly halfway between Paris and Berlin. So the whole trip could potentially be under 4h downtown to downtown.
Berlin to Munich is pretty fast. The issue with Berlin-Paris is that you have to go through NRW, which is where German trains go to get slow and delayed.
The direct route would be through NRW, but the one this train takes is going further south via Erfurt-Frankfurt-Strasbourg. Strasbourg has a proper hsr on the French site, which helps a lot. It technically would be faster to go via Cologne and Brussels, but that would cause a lot of problems.
For the current route the big missing section is between Mannheim-Frankfurt-Erfurt. There are plans for it, which are being pushed right now.
Paris - Berlin is 1h50min by plane and the direct train takes 8h17min using the direct train. For security checks you can add about 3h to the flight and a bit more as the train stations are probably close to the destination.
The main problem is a lack of hsr track in Germany. If that would be fixed, then trains would be faster then planes in practical terms. Paris - Marseille happens to be only a bit shorter and it is much faster in a train.
Yup, Germany needs better highspeed railways. It only takes 1h45 from Paris to Strasbourg which is roughly halfway between Paris and Berlin. So the whole trip could potentially be under 4h downtown to downtown.
Berlin to Munich is pretty fast. The issue with Berlin-Paris is that you have to go through NRW, which is where German trains go to get slow and delayed.
The direct route would be through NRW, but the one this train takes is going further south via Erfurt-Frankfurt-Strasbourg. Strasbourg has a proper hsr on the French site, which helps a lot. It technically would be faster to go via Cologne and Brussels, but that would cause a lot of problems.
For the current route the big missing section is between Mannheim-Frankfurt-Erfurt. There are plans for it, which are being pushed right now.
Makes sense. I was thinking of the old non-direct route.