After the 9-euro ticket chaos at Pentecost: Deutsche Bahn now wants to change that

Created: 06/08/2022Updated: 06/08/2022 14:08

By: Raffaela Maas

The first stress test for the 9-euro ticket has been completed, but the next challenge for Deutsche Bahn is approaching.

What is planned to stop the chaos in the future?

Munich - Overcrowded trains, delays and crowds on the platform: For the staff of Deutsche Bahn and the passengers, the first Whitsun weekend with the 9-euro ticket was a real stress test.

Now the question arises as to what the train will do against the cheap ticket chaos - especially since in a few days with Corpus Christi the next long weekend with chaos potential is just around the corner.

Whitsun chaos through 9-euro ticket - passenger association criticizes

After the Pentecost weekend, the Pro Bahn passenger association saw its initial criticism of the 9-euro ticket confirmed.

“During peak travel times, demand on the main routes was so high that trains could not depart.

And some railway companies - such as Metronom in northern Germany - have excluded bicycle transport because they could not handle the rush," said Karl-Peter Naumann from the Pro Bahn passenger association on Monday of the German Press Agency (dpa).

The chaos was foreseeable and the result of a political offer without having the necessary rail traffic capacities

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9-euro ticket: This is how chaos should be avoided in the future

"Of course, as expected, there were occasional peak loads, especially on the main tourist routes," explained Jörg Sandvoß, CEO of DB Regio in a press release from the company on June 7th.

For the increasing number of passengers, 50 additional DB Regio trains with around 250 additional journeys have been in use since June 1st.

In the summer months, the DB staff at stations and on the trains are to be reinforced in order to better coordinate boarding and alighting and to better support travelers, according to the company's press release.

Compared to a normal summer, around four times as many service and security staff are to be deployed.

Are these measures enough to handle the next big rush?

In just a few days, Deutsche Bahn will have the opportunity to prove itself - with Corpus Christi in Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and other federal states, the next long weekend is already waiting.