Deutsche Bahn has extended German-French cross-border rail services by unveiling a new high-speed fleet. The inaugural ride from Frankfurt to Paris took place on July 23. Since June 2015the new ICE 3 train of German national rail operator has been travelling to Paris in regular passenger operation. In addition to Germany and France, the Velaro D is also intended for cross-border operation in Belgium.
The presidents of SNCF and Deutsche Bahn, Guillaume Pepy and Rüdiger Grube signed a commercial agreement to renew the cooperation between the two railway holdings regarding the crossborder high speed rail transport. German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrind also attended the inaugural trip.
The Velaro D is the fourth generation of high-speed trains that Siemens has developed on the basis of the Velaro platform.
“We are happy to present the new ICE 3, our most modern train which now runs between France and Germany. Our three high speed connections (Paris-Frankfurt, Paris-Stuttgart-Munich and Frankfurt – Marseille) operated in cooperation represent the heart of our transnational transport” Rüdiger Grube said. “Nearly 12 million passengers traveled by ICE and TGV between the two countries since the launch of the operation of these lines via the Alleo joint venture, in June 2007. Between 2008 and 2014, the number of passengers increased by more than 44 %” Grube added.
Photo: http://www.sncf.com
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