Direct Paris to Berlin train

[Jamesrob637]

Hi all, does anybody have experience of the direct Paris to Berlin ICE? Does it keep well its schedule? I am probably travelling on it the 11th of June.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The zugfinder.net site lets you see a month’s worth of delays, e.g.

Delay data and punctuality for train ICE 9590 (Mannheim Hbf - Frankfurt(Main)Hbf)

Delays, cancellations and punctuality statistics as well as live tracking, wagon order and delay forecast for ICE 9590.

www.zugfinder.net

and

Delay data and punctuality for train ICE 9591 (Paris Est - Frankfurt(Main)Hbf)

Delays, cancellations and punctuality statistics as well as live tracking, wagon order and delay forecast for ICE 9591.

www.zugfinder.net

 

[peterblue]

Hi all, does anybody have experience of the direct Paris to Berlin ICE? Does it keep well its schedule? I am probably travelling on it the 11th of June.

Are you planning any tight connections?

If you are, then maybe you might want to consider taking an earlier itinerary with a change. Despite the name, the 'direct' ICE isn't really that direct, and it only takes around 15-20 minutes longer with a change somewhere e.g. Cologne, Brussels, Mannheim.

 

[Starmill]

I used it in January and we ran via Dramstadt Hbf due to the track works. We departed Paris Est a few minutes late and crawled out to the LGV. Tickets were checked onboard by a DB train manager who was being assisted by a member of SNCF crew. After my ticket was scanned I went to present my ID but was told it was fine and the train manager moved on. We were unsurprisingly forced to wait time in Kehl, this is not an advertised passenger call, although no police or security staff joined the train to inspect documents. I saw no evidence of any inspections at Karlshue Hbf. We also called at Kassel Whilheimshole for a crew change. This also wasn't advertised for passengers, but all doors were released, and again we waited time. The train arrived early at Berlin Spandau.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Mar 2025 ==

Are you planning any tight connections?

If you are, then maybe you might want to consider taking an earlier itinerary with a change. Despite the name, the 'direct' ICE isn't really that direct, and it only takes around 15-20 minutes longer with a change somewhere e.g. Cologne, Brussels, Mannheim.

I strongly recommend a bare minimum of 45 minutes connection time at the Berlin station. Realistically no less than an hour should be relied on. If the day's final destination is Berlin it's a convenient train to use.

 

[Jamesrob637]

My final destination will be within Berlin, only an S-Bahn or U-Bahn away from the Hbf. No need to worry about tight connections.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

I used it last week. We picked up 20 minutes delay near Frankfurt due to "children playing on the track", but a bit was made up by arrival in Paris.
My general yard stick is that Berlin to Frankfurt is usually unproblematic. The Ruhr is always a disaster, but it doesn't go there. The only potential trouble area is Frankfurt - Offenburg, just due to the shear volume of traffic.

There is indeed a booked crew change in Kassel, but no other stops between Berlin and Frankfurt. Evidently many people hadn't appreciated this, because on two seperate occasions there were stern announcements about not smoking in the toilets!

Despite the name, the 'direct' ICE isn't really that direct, and it only takes around 15-20 minutes longer with a change somewhere e.g. Cologne, Brussels, Mannheim.

It's neat, but running only once a day I see it as more symbolic than actually useful.
When it was suggested that it might run via Saarbrücken the politicians in Strasbourg wasted no time in expressing their agrievment and stressing how important cross-border travel is to them. Somehow they don't seem bothered that unlike in the Netherlands, the Deutschlandticket validity on the cross border shuttle stops at the border and you have to pay an extra €5 to get from Kehl to Strasbourg. Nor are they bothered that it is operated by tatty diesel railbuses "under the wires" whilst brand new cross-border EMUs sit unused in the sidings