Germany and France launch a direct high-speed train between Berlin and Paris

BERLIN — Germany and France on Monday launched a direct high-speed train between Berlin and Paris, a connection hailed as a symbol of a close friendship between the two countries and a sign of Europe's potential to attract more travelers to the rails.

The bullet train, however, is unlikely to be a game-changer. At about eight hours, the once-a-day service with German operator Deutsche Bahn's ICE trains offers an increase in convenience rather than any major time saving compared with other, indirect connections.

Here's a look at the new offering:

Making Germany's railway more punctual

The launch comes as Deutsche Bahn works to shed its reputation for the unreliability it has built up over recent years. Last month, only 60% of its long-distance trains arrived at their destination punctually — defined as under six minutes late.

The state-owned operator has embarked on a drive to improve the situation by 2027 and is aiming for punctuality of more than 75%.

A key part of that is a campaign to modernize dozens of stretches of railway. The first part of that program was completed when one of the country's busiest routes, a 70-kilometer (45-mile) stretch between Frankfurt and Mannheim, reopened Sunday — on time — after five months of closure for an overhaul of tracks, stations and other infrastructure.

The government blames long-term underinvestment by its predecessors for problems with the railway.

By day or by night?

The new train stops en route in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and the French city of Strasbourg, one of the European Parliament's homes. The westbound train is scheduled to arrive in Paris just before 8 p.m., while the eastbound one arrives in Berlin just after 6 p.m.

There is also a slower direct overnight train between the two capitals, three times a week. That connection was launched last year by Austrian operator ÖBB, which has spearheaded something of a revival of night trains in Europe after some railways cut them back or abandoned them entirely. Deutsche Bahn ended its sleeper service on the route 10 years ago.

The new Berlin-Paris ICE is part of the annual mid-December shakeup of European train timetables. Among other things this time around, there's also a new direct high-speed train connection between Munich and Amsterdam, a seven-hour journey.

Europe's power couple

Germany and France are the European Union's two most populous countries and its biggest economies. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said the new railway connection, operated in collaboration with France's SNCF, ''is also a good symbol of the German-French friendship.''

German Transport Minister Volker Wissing also said it is more than ''just a new, additional offer.'' He said, ''we still have a lot of potential to get as many people as possible onto the rails inside Europe with attractive offers, including for longer journeys and live out this friendship.''