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Travelers at Duisburg main station: 9-euro ticket ensures more passengers
Photo: Roberto Pfeil / dpa
In the second quarter of this year, the number of passengers in local rail transport increased significantly.
The relaxation of the corona measures and the 9-euro ticket introduced in June caused the number of passengers to increase by 46 percent compared to the first quarter, according to the Federal Statistical Office, based on user data automatically collected from the transport companies.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of passengers rose by as much as 74 percent.
According to the evaluation, the distances traveled in local rail transport in the second quarter were, on average, 25 kilometers longer than in the previous quarter (22 kilometers) and in the same quarter of the previous year (21 kilometers).
The statisticians blamed the discounted ticket for this effect, saying that the corona measures had “comparatively little influence” here in the past.
The transport performance in local rail transport increased by 68 percent compared to the first quarter and has more than doubled compared to the same period last year with a plus of 113 percent.
It measures the kilometers traveled by all passengers together.
Also increase in trams and light rail
The Federal Office also carried out evaluations for the trams and light rail vehicles, which also include subways.
This means that 21 percent more passengers drove than in the previous quarter and 48 percent more than in the same quarter of the previous year.
The average travel distances remained almost unchanged at around four kilometers.
The 9-euro ticket for nationwide local public transport is valid until the end of August.
There is currently intensive discussion about a possible continuation of a discounted ticket.
According to a SPIEGEL survey, the states do not want to implement a successor plan without the federal government.
"The federal government must commit to financing such a follow-up regulation for the 9-euro ticket," said Brandenburg's Transport Minister Guido Beermann (CDU).
sol/dpa/AFP