![]() In the 1990s a Thuringia governor lobbied Helmut Kohl to ensure the train line takes a 90km detour via the state capital Erfurt. The big difference with France’s non-stop TGV services: Germany’s decentralised federal system allows state governors intervene in the planning process of the state railway. “I travel a lot in France where 320-340 km/h are standard,” said Patrick Bohlmann, aboard the first ICE sprinter. After all 15 years ago France introduced a new TGV high-speed line bringing Parisians to Marseilles – 775km in three hours. On the maiden journey, racing at 300km/h through the snowy German landscape, not all passengers were impressed by the effective speed limit of 150km/h on the new ICE train. “This is a serious alternative to flying,” said Richard Lutz, DB chief executive. The German rail company aims to double its share of the market to 3.6 million passengers annually, offering what it calls the fastest and most convenient link from one city centre to the other. ![]() However, the bankruptcy of Air Berlin – leaving a Lufthansa monopoly on the route and fares of €300 one way – may help change Germans’ minds. ![]() Currently just one in five trips between Berlin and Munich is by rail, with 30 per cent by car and one in two by plane. It runs from Erfurt through the central Thuringian Forest, a remarkable feat of German engineering with 22 tunnels and 29 bridges.ĭB hopes the new connection – tickets cost €150 one way, though discounts are available – will woo people into their carriages. ![]()
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