Deutsche Bahn is increasing – and expecting the worst

The 9-euro ticket is here, the first passengers are on their way. Deutsche Bahn expects a rush of customers in the summer months and is preparing more staff and extra trains to prevent the collapse. But the worst remains possible.

You can’t drive with the 9-euro ticket yet, but you can already buy it. The pre-sale of Deutsche Bahn, and thus probably the most used contact point, to get hold of a 9-euro ticket, is opened. You can already buy your ticket for one of the months of validity from June to August or for several. We have summarized for you here how this works in the DB Navigator.

For a 9-euro ticket: Deutsche Bahn gets out what’s possible

But before things really get going on June 1st, the train is getting ready. The rush on the trains could be extreme. With 50 additional moves DB Regio therefore wants to get the situation under control from day one. This should allow 250 trips per day to be made extra to the usual timetable. In regional and S-Bahn trains, there are 60,000 more seats from the first day of validity of the 9-euro ticket.

Both on board and at the stations should also additional railway employees for questions and ticket checks are available and help with luggage and bicycles, for example, the company explains (source: Deutsche Bahn). The cleaning and maintenance teams for the trains have also been strengthened.

On the upcoming vacation and public holidays, the aim is to strengthen the typical tourist routes in particular with the additional offer. The 9-euro ticket is “a big experiment for the entire public transport system,” says Jörg Sandvoß, head of DB Regio. “We are preparing and are literally moving everything we have.”

What I should know before you decide to buy the 9 euro ticket:

DB warns that space is scarce in local transport in June, July and August

But even with these measures, one cannot promise a smooth process: “Especially those Transport of bicycles cannot always be guaranteed, especially since many excursions are decided spontaneously and depending on the weather. Just as a sudden traffic jam on the autobahn delays travel, this can also happen on the train when traffic is very heavy,” explains Sandvoß. With consideration and understanding, however, passengers could help ensure that everything runs as well as possible under the special circumstances.