Direct Berlin–Paris ICEs suspended over ETCS problems
Deutsche Bahn has temporarily suspended the direct ICE service between Berlin and Paris because of technical problems with the ETCS equipment supplied by Alstom.
The direct service, introduced in December 2024, normally provides a journey of around eight hours between the German and French capitals. For the time being, however, ICE trains will operate only between Frankfurt and Paris. Passengers travelling to or from Berlin, as well as Halle and Erfurt, must change trains in Frankfurt or Mannheim.
DB says the problem concerns the European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment required for its ICEs to operate the direct service. The railway has called on Alstom to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, but no date has yet been given for the restoration of through trains.
The suspension is particularly unfortunate given the popularity of the service. DB has previously reported average occupancy of around 80%, and had been considering increasing the service to two trains a day.
For passengers, the connection has not disappeared altogether: DB says that up to nine daily connections remain available between Berlin and Paris with a change of train. There is also still a direct European Sleeper night train three times a week, although its considerably longer routing means it is not a substitute for the high-speed service.
The incident is a reminder that international rail isn't simply a matter of putting a train on the right tracks. Modern cross-border services depend on a complex mixture of infrastructure, signalling systems and equipment working together across national boundaries — and a problem with one component can be enough to break a direct service.
Photo copyright and courtesy of Deutsche Bahn AG / Volker Emersleben.
Finland and Sweden linked by passenger trains again
Passenger trains are once again running between Finland and Sweden, with Finnish operator VR launching services across the border between Oulu and Haparanda.
The first train made the journey on August 10, marking the resumption of international passenger services between the two countries after more than two decades. The opening service was greeted by local residents, politicians and railway enthusiasts at Haparanda station in the early hours of the morning.
VR is initially operating two trains a day in each direction, with services calling at Kemi, Tornio East, Tornio and Haparanda. The trains connect at Oulu with long-distance services to and from Helsinki, providing a new rail route between the Finnish capital and northern Sweden.
The cross-border service has been made possible by the electrification and upgrading of the line between Laurila, Tornio and Haparanda. This allows electric trains to run continuously across the Torne River and into Sweden.
The new service also connects with the existing regional railway between Luleå and Haparanda, operated by VR's Swedish subsidiary VR Sverige for Norrtåg. Norrtåg plans to adjust and expand its services to better connect with the new Finnish trains, with further improvements expected from September.
For travellers, the reopening creates a useful new international rail link at the northern edge of Europe. It also provides a connection between two railway networks which, despite being separated by only a river at the border, have been without a regular passenger service across it for many years.
And there is an interesting timetable quirk: some of the services continue beyond Oulu to or from Helsinki, meaning that passengers can travel directly between Helsinki and Haparanda without changing trains at Oulu.
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