BERLIN (Reuters) - European rail enthusiasts may soon be able to travel even further into the depths of Siberia without having to switch trains as a Russian rail operator plans a direct, roughly five-day journey between Berlin and Irkutsk.

At present, the longest direct train journey from Western Europe leaves Berlin on Saturdays and arrives in the Siberian capital Novosibirsk on Wednesdays, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said.

The trip takes almost four days and covers around 5,000 km (3,100 miles).

JSC Russian Railways is planning a new route from the German capital to Irkutsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia, situated near Lake Baikal. It is about 1,800 km (1,200 miles) east of Novosibirsk by rail.

The journey could take up to 30 hours longer than the Berlin-Novosibirsk route, a spokesman for the Russian operator said.

About 2.7 million people live in the region of Irkutsk, where the climate is characterised by long and cold winters and humid and warm summers.

Travellers can also reach the city with the Trans-Siberian Railway. It route in Russia runs from Moscow in the west to the eastern coastal city of Vladivostock and is the longest rail line in the word, spanning almost 9,300 km (5,700 miles).