New bullet train launched to finally connect two of Europe’s biggest cities

A new direct high-speed train has been launched connecting two of Europe’s biggest cities.

Germany and France on Monday launched the train between Berlin and Paris, a connection hailed as a symbol of a close friendship between the two countries.

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.”

The move is also being sold as 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.

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.

The new train stops en route in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and the French city of…