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Photo: DPA

Munich-Berlin train 'will soon take four hours'

Published: 4 Nov 12 12:09 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121104-45967.html

The time it takes to travel by train from Munich to Berlin could soon be halved to just four hours, as plans solidify to expand and improve the European rail system.

Sunday’s Tagesspiegel newspaper said the speedier connection between the German and Bavarian capitals should be ready by 2017 and cost €10 billion.

It will be part of the Berlin-Sicily route which will also go through Innsbruck-Verona, Milan, Bologna, Naples-Messina and onto Palermo in Sicily.

The changes are part of an upgrade to the Trans-European Transport Network-Train or TEN-T.

The Berlin-Sicily route is mainly designed for goods traffic, but passengers will be able to travel along selected sections of the route.

The improved route allows for trains to travel as fast as 300 kilometres per hour and will make the train competitive with air traffic, the paper wrote.

The Local/mw

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

14:58 November 4, 2012 by catjones
I just got back from the future. At the end of 2016 it was announced that the train would be delayed until 2020 and offer a joint celebration with the opening of the berlin airport.
16:50 November 4, 2012 by IchBinKönig
Lets see.

BER > MUC Flight time with airberlin: 1h 15minutes ... for 70.-Euro

9 airberlin Flights per day, and Lufthansa has another dozen or so. So 'smart'.
00:14 November 5, 2012 by Onlythetruth
And what about the Hamburg - Berlin run? When they get it down to a half hour is when I'll be impressed.
09:19 November 5, 2012 by freechoice
This speed party could easily be stopped by depressed individuals by jumping into the train tracks during any festive seasons.
14:35 November 5, 2012 by franconia
@ Koenig Add 30 min S bahn ,45 min check-in , another 40 min S Bahn in Munich and waiting for Luggage and what have you got? To the 70 Euro add 2 trips with S Bahn or Taxi and maybe 50 Euro for second Koffer. No, I travel for 39 Euros to Munich Center
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