By bike on vacation or even on a business trip? That should be easier with Deutsche Bahn in the future. In 2025, bicycle parking spaces are to be available in 60 percent of long-distance trains, the Federal Ministry of Transport said, all long-distance routes should be covered. Currently, the proportion of long-distance trains with bicycle compartment is 47 percent.
In future, the train will only order passenger trains with wheel stalls, the ministry responded to a request by the Green Bundestag deputy Stefan Gelbhaar. The demand for it rise, said a railway spokesman. "We will significantly expand our capacities."
While there are already bicycles compartments in regional trains, so far only part of the long-distance trains have space for bicycles: in the 180 or so intercity trains and in 59 ICE-T trains, where they have been retrofitted.
Eight bicycle parking spaces planned per train
In ICE of the series 1 to 3, however, travelers can not take a bike. The company does not want to convert this too - the effort would be too big, according to Bahn. In addition, bicycle parking spaces in long-distance traffic were on average only 21 percent, seats for passengers, however, to 56 percent, said the railway.
In contrast, the new ICE 4 has a bicycle compartment. The train currently has 39 of these trains in existence, until 2023 followed by another 80. In long-distance transport today 350,000 bike tickets sold per year, said the railway. Calculator is thus a maximum of about every second ride a bike on board.
If you want to travel by bike, make a reservation. While intercity trains today have eight to 16, in some cases even 24 parking spaces, there will be fewer in new trains in the future. There are eight seats per train. The train does not go beyond the minimum requirement of an EU directive.
