The plane is faster door to door. Fastest train 3h52 (Paris-Est → Frankfurt (Main) Hbf), ~6 direct trains/day. 8.1 g CO₂e per passenger-km by train. Checked 2026-11-01.
The comparison
| Fastest train | 3h52Paris-Est → Frankfurt (Main) Hbf |
|---|---|
| Trains | ~6 direct trains/day (pickthetrain open-data average); DB lists 1 ICE Sprinter/day/direction Frankfurt-ParisDB ICE / SNCF TGV INOUI (DB-SNCF cooperation) |
| Flight | ~1h20 CDG-FRA (pickthetrain typical-for-distance; Air France, Lufthansa, Condor fly nonstop). Airports add travel, check-in and security time. |
| Door to door | The plane is faster door to door |
| CO₂ | 8.1 g CO₂e per passenger-km by trainTrain: SNCF Voyageurs Info GES 2024, 'DB&SNCF in cooperation' = 8.1 gCO2e/pkm (use phase only). Plane: the same document cites ADEME use-phase values of 159 g/pkm (<500 km flights) and 123 g/pkm (500-1000 km), without contrails; pick the band by flight distance. Left null here to |
| Points | ICE-operated trains: DB BahnBonus: 1 reward point + 1 status point per EUR spent on DB tickets; national free trip from 750 points (2nd class, one-way; 750-2,000 depending on route/date/demand), international free trip from 1,750 points (2nd class one-way). (BahnBonus earning on DB-sold tickets; not verified for TGV-operated runs) |
Added. Roughly a draw: pickthetrain.com door-to-door model (its own assumptions: 1h30 airport check-in/security, 20 min to exit, typical-for-distance flight time, public-transport access estimates) says plane faster by 15 min (4h17 vs 4h02).
Questions
Is the train faster than flying from Paris to Frankfurt?
The plane is faster door to door. The fastest train takes 3h52 city centre to city centre; the flight is ~1h20 CDG-FRA (pickthetrain typical-for-distance; Air France, Lufthansa, Condor fly nonstop). Airports add travel, check-in and security time..
How often do trains run from Paris to Frankfurt?
~6 direct trains/day (pickthetrain open-data average); DB lists 1 ICE Sprinter/day/direction Frankfurt-Paris
Can I earn or use points on this train?
ICE-operated trains: DB BahnBonus: 1 reward point + 1 status point per EUR spent on DB tickets; national free trip from 750 points (2nd class, one-way; 750-2,000 depending on route/date/demand), international free trip from 1,750 points (2nd class one-way). (BahnBonus earning on DB-sold tickets; not verified for TGV-operated runs)
Which emits less, train or plane?
8.1 g CO₂e per passenger-km by train.
Sources: pickthetrain.com, int.bahn.de, groupe-sncf.com
Points or cash, or the train?
Tell Points or Cash where you are going. On short European trips it checks whether the train beats the flight before you spend a point.
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