Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

TRAIN TRAVEL

What to know about Deutsche Bahn’s summer service changes

Deutsche Bahn is implementing a number of changes in Germany and abroad, including a timetable adjustment for summer and a few policy updates.

Published: 11 June 2024 12:07 CEST
Updated: 16 June 2024 08:14 CEST
deutsche bahn train and passengers
People walk next to a high speed train in Stuttgart. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Schmidt

Germany’s national railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) introduces a timetable change each year in June ahead of the summer vacation season, which is a popular time for rail travel.

This year’s timetable adjustment also comes with a couple key operational changes such as a price increase for seat reservation, as well as the end of physical BahnCards.

The summer timetable will remain in place until December 14th, when the winter timetable begins.

Train and scheduled service changes

New trains are being added to several of DB’s international routes. The state-owned railway operator says on its website that the new trains will provide “more comfort on cross-border connections”.

Specifically: new Swiss high-speed trains will be added to the Frankfurt – Zurich – Milan line from June, new ÖBB Railjet trains are being gradually added to the Munich – Bolzano – Verona line, and new CD Comfortjet trains are expected to be added to the Berlin – Dresden – Prague line from September.

On the other hand, DB’s ICE 3neo trains are to be phased out on connections between Frankfurt and Brussels and Amsterdam from mid-June.

interior train new

The interior of a new Railjet train presented by Deutsche Bahn. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Deutsche Bahn AG | Thomas Kiewning

There are also some disruptions that are already scheduled due to construction.

Starting July 16th, passengers of the Riedbahn from Frankfurt to Mannheim can expect the journey to take an additional 30 minutes, with alterations to direct connections. 

From July 16th to August 12th there will be renovations carried out on the Cologne to Frankfurt Airport high-speed line. 

Finally, from August 17th, renovation of the Hamburg – Berlin connection is expected to delay journeys up to 45 minutes.

How DB is supporting Euro 2024

In anticipation of the Euro 2024 football championship, DB has planned for “around 10,000 additional seats per day” from June 14th to July 14th.

The extra seats are added by means of using longer trains in some cases and also adding journeys, especially in the evening and through the night, scheduled for departure following the matches.

READ ALSO: Euro 2024 – Six things to know about visiting Germany this summer

DB also has a couple of promotional ticket and Bahncard options available that will allow football fans to save a bit on train transport around the country.

Holders of a ticket for a Euro 2024 match will also receive a “DB Ticket Euro 2024”, allowing them to book long-distance train journeys to the match from €29.90. This is in addition to the local transportation ticket that Euro 2024 ticket holders receive.

Additionally, visitors coming from other European countries by train may want to take advantage of the Interrail EURO 2024 Pass, which is discounted by 25 percent.

Lastly, DB is offering a “Fan BahnCard 25” until June 16th, which gives one a 25 percent discount on all DB train tickets for a period of three months – to be extended for one year free of charge if Germany happens to win the Euro 2024 championship.

Price and BahnCard updates

The price for seat reservations is going up a bit this summer. 

As of June 9th, the price for a seat reservation in 2nd class has risen to €5.20, and in 1st class it’s up to €6.50. For family reservations, the price has changed to €10.40 in 2nd class and €13 in 1st class.

If you are a BahnCard holder you may have noticed that a physical BahnCard has not arrived in your mailbox for this season. BahnCards 25 and 50 are now completely digital. Your current BahnCard can be added to your account in the DB Navigator app and used immediately.

More information about BahnCards can be found on the DB website.

READ ALSO: Why a Deutsche Bahn job ad sparked laughs – and likely a few applicants

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

EURO 2024

‘Welcome to Germany’: Euro 2024 travel chaos raises questions about German efficiency

Travel chaos following the England vs. Serbia match on Sunday night left fans questioning Germany's reputation for punctual trains and buses. Are German cities adequately prepared for Euro 2024?

Published: 18 June 2024 14:35 CEST
'Welcome to Germany': Euro 2024 travel chaos raises questions about German efficiency

Local stations were overcrowded for hours after the Euro 2024 England vs. Serbia game in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night.

Match attendees took to social media to complain about being left to wait for up to three hours after the final whistle for a train back to the city centre.

In the lead-up to the game there had been concerns about potential fan violence, with German authorities even taking the precautionary measure of ensuring that weaker beer would be served. There were also rumours that local police had encouraged fans to smoke cannabis rather than drink.

But in the end, it was travel chaos that soured the post-game mood on Sunday night, and sparked a debate on why host cities for sporting events regularly fail to prepare for the massive crowds that they should expect.

Some international visitors would have been familiar with Germany’s reputation for having highly punctual trains and buses. But local residents know that Germany’s national rail operator, Deutsch Bahn, has been criticised for having a high rate of late or cancelled trains for many years.

The myth of German efficiency

A video shared on social media platform X showed hundreds of fans still waiting to catch a train three hours after the match ended.

Top comments on the clip tended to be rather disparaging of Germany’s public transportation. “Welcome to Germany”, was among the most liked comments.

A Tagesspiegel reporter who attended the game was among the crowd. In a write-up about the event he asked, “Why could a stadium that usually receives 60,000 people every two weeks suddenly not be able to deal with such crowds? Why was a game that didn’t start until 9 pm and was classified as a ‘high-risk game’ awarded at this location at all?”

He also noted that transportation capacity issues really began before the match, with many fans forced to walk more than six kilometres to the arena due to a lack of trains and buses.

The English fan alliance FSA also voiced clear criticism following the game: “We are dismayed by what the fans had to go through,” it said in a statement. The reaction of the authorities points to “a complacency that does not meet the requirements”. 

Can German transport handle Euro 2024 crowds?

Some are wondering if Germany’s transportation infrastructure is prepared for Euro 2024, or if more events like that seen in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night will be seen throughout the tournament.

At the end of April, Deutsche Bahn announced plans to increase capacity on its regional trains this summer. Even without an international football championship, local trains had been severely overcrowded is some regions, especially during the summer months.

At that time, Evelyn Palla, Deutsche Bahn board member and DB Regio CEO had said that she didn’t think regional train congestion would be made worse by Euro 2024.

But local transport companies hit back at claims that they had failed to meet their responsibilities for taking fans to and from the matches.

“Social media is a snapshot that only gives a limited picture,” local transportation company Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG (Bogestra) told DPA. “We made a good effort with the capacities we had available.”

The spokesman added that Bogestra had been running trams with twice the usual capacity and numerous buses that were permanently in use. There were also extra trains in the direction of Essen Central Station.

Additionally a spokesman for the board of the region’s biggest transportation provider, Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR), said on Monday in Düsseldorf that the transport companies had “done a great job”.

But those forced to wait for hours on a rainy evening saw it differently. Fans noted that the fan zone was opened too late on Sunday, the shuttle buses were too late, and the transport from the fan zone to the stadium was “chaotic”, according to reporting by DPA. 

Some raised concerns around accessibility, noting that the stops designed for accessibility were not announced and were therefore missed by people with disabilities.

READ ALSO: Where are the fan zones for Euro 2024 in Germany?

Of course not every disruption can be blamed on match organisers or the transport companies. Fans had also increased traffic in at least one incident by pulling the emergency brake.

There was also one vehicle found to be defective on arrival that had to be taken off the track. 

Regarding the overall composure of the crowd, however, police reported no serious problems due to fans’ “level-headed behaviour”.

SHOW COMMENTS