AmaWaterways Celebrates Travel Advisor Appreciation With Incentives and Rewards Bowman’s Travel Brief: Avoid Newark Airport Mastering the Art of Group Travel Bookings Fiesta Americana Travelty Celebrates Travel Advisors The Top 24 Most Powerful Travel Agencies of 2024 The Strategic Art of Pre-Planning Luxury Vacations: A Perspective for Travel Advisors Germany and France have just unveiled a new direct high-speed train between Berlin and Paris, which is said to underscore the strong bond between the two nations and evidence Europe’s ability to lure in more rail travelers The new service is being operated by German rail company Deutsche Bahn, running once a day in each direction, connecting the two capitals in about eight hours. According to ABC News it doesn’t provide any real time savings compared to indirect routes but could make an appreciable difference in terms of convenience This latest launch coincides with Deutsche Bahn’s ongoing efforts to overcome its reputation for unreliable service the company reported that only 60 percent of its long-distance trains were on time—defined as arriving less than six minutes late the national rail company is working toward achieving over 75 percent punctuality by 2027 with a comprehensive plan to modernize many stretches of railway infrastructure One of the first successes in this modernization initiative came this week as one of Germany’s busiest routes a 45-mile stretch between Frankfurt and Mannheim The improvements included upgrades to tracks Karlsruhe and Strasbourg before reaching the City of Lights Passengers traveling from Paris will arrive in Berlin just after 6:00 p.m. while those heading west from Berlin will arrive in Paris by 8:00 p.m a slower overnight train between Berlin and Paris has been running three times a week since last year This revival of night trains follows ÖBB’s broader effort to bring back sleeper services—which had declined in recent years—across Europe Deutsche Bahn discontinued its own sleeper service a decade ago This new connection between Berlin and Paris via Deutsche Bahn ICE train is part of the annual timetable changes that occur across Europe in mid-December these schedule alterations also include the introduction of a high-speed direct train between Munich and Amsterdam Germany and France are the largest economies and most populous nations in the European Union Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner described the new rail link operated in partnership with France's SNCF as “a good symbol of German-French friendship” German Transport Minister Volker Wissing opined that the connection is about more than just offering a new route “We still have a lot of potential to get as many people as possible onto the rails inside Europe with attractive offers For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter Collette - Expertly Crafted Tours for the Modern Traveler Cross Border Xpress Mexico: What Travel Advisors Need to Know Editor Assistant Editor true lbaratti@travelpulse.com 9174 14744 Laurie Baratti is an Assistant Editor for TravelPulse She is a San Diego-based journalist whose work has previously appeared in publications like TravelAge West