Deutsche Bahn and French national rail provider SNCF have announced that they will jointly run a new direct train service connecting Munich and Paris.

DB and SNCF to run new Munich to Paris train

Train passengers in Germany and France can look forward to the launch of a new direct service connecting Munich and Paris, starting towards the end of 2026.

DB’s ICE trains and France’s TGV trains will run along the Munich-Paris line. Currently, TGV runs one daily connection between the French and Bavarian capitals.

Speaking to The Local, a DB spokesperson said that the service launch was dependent on the new Stuttgart 21 train station opening. The construction project which began in 2010 has been delayed multiple times and is due to be finished at the end of 2026.

New Berlin-Paris direct connection has proven a success

The announcement from DB and SNCF comes after the national rail companies launched a joint service between Berlin and Paris in December 2024, which has so far proven a great success.

"We have above-average advance bookings for the first quarter and the average occupancy rate of the trains is very high," DB board member Michael Peterson told the dpa.

Deutsche Bahn is seeing greater demand for daytime services and sleeper trains connecting European cities. "The boom in international long-distance transport proves that people also want to travel across borders by climate-friendly rail - and are willing to accept longer journey times to do so, as the success of the Berlin-Paris or Frankfurt-Marseille connections shows," Peterson added.

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