Germany opens new high-speed train after 26 years of planning

Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Germany rolled out a new high-speed train Friday that will take passengers between Munich and Berlin in under four hours.

Scheduled service on the train will begin on Sunday, but a special train traveling from Nuremburg to Berlin carried German Chancellor Angela Merkel and political leaders of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt -- states through which the train passes.

Friday's event was planned in cities along the route, including Erfurt, Leipzig and Wittenburg.

Starting Sunday, the Inter-City-Express (ICE) Sprinter trains will leave Berlin and Munich three times per day on the 387-mile route. The journey time is expected to be less than four hours, shaving off two hours from the time it takes a normal train to make the trip.

At some points along the route, the ICE trains will travel at speeds of up to 186 mph. A one-way ticket will cost $147, compared to prices of $85 to $141 on current trains on the route.

Richard Lutz, chief of German railway Deutsche Bahn, said the new train's speed will put it "in striking distance" of luring passengers who normally fly airplanes between the cities.

Friday's introduction of the new trains ends more than a quarter-century of planning.

A plan for the ICE train was first announced in 1991 and construction began in 1996. The project involved building 22 tunnels and 29 bridges across Germany.