Nine Euro Ticket: Questions and Answers
Created: 05/17/2022, 19:07
By: Bernd Schlegel
The nine-euro ticket is expected to go on sale in southern Lower Saxony from Monday.
The preparations are in full swing - questions and answers.
Göttingen – From June 1, 2022, the nine-euro ticket is to be introduced in Germany for three months in local transport.
Many travelers are expected throughout Lower Saxony, but especially in southern Lower Saxony around Göttingen, as reported by hna.de.
The monthly ticket, which is intended to allow unlimited second-class travel on local trains and buses in Germany in June, July and August 2022, will be available from ticket machines, in service centers of the Verkehrsverbund Südniedersachsen, Deutsche Bahn travel centers and on the Internet be.
Nine-euro ticket: Questions and answers on Germany-wide public transport
A metronome in front of the Marienburg Castle south of Hanover: With the nine-euro ticket, a particularly large number of passengers are expected to be traveling on these trains between Göttingen and the state capital from the beginning of June.
(Iconic image) © Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
For existing subscription customers, the prices for June, July and August will be reduced to nine euros per month.
With the valid VSN subscription card you can then travel nationwide.
The nine-euro ticket is not valid for long-distance travel.
We spoke to Michael Frömming, the managing director of the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Südniedersachsen (ZVSN).
Questions and answers about the Germany-wide local transport offer:
Which routes will be particularly popular in southern Lower Saxony during the nine-euro ticket period?
In rail traffic, these are the routes between Hanover and Göttingen and between Göttingen and Kassel.
"Many will be on the main route between Hamburg and Frankfurt and then drive through our region," says Michael Frömming, Managing Director of the ZVSN.
Are there any tips for rail customers who use regional transport?
Yes, it can be worth using the trains during off-peak hours to avoid conflicts with commuters.
How is the occupancy on the weekends?
"That's going to be the big question that nobody has been able to answer yet," says Frömming.
He assumes that the range of buses will be used more in the Harz Mountains.
Why not just lengthen the trains to offer more capacity over the three months?
According to Frömming, this is not possible for two reasons.
All reserves will be deployed anyway.
In addition, the platforms at several stations have become shorter after modernization.
If the metronome were to run with eight carriages instead of six, in some cases there would be two carriages on the free track.
What about taking bicycles with the nine-euro ticket?
There is no nationwide regulation.
The regional tariff regulations apply.
You have to inform yourself in advance.
In southern Lower Saxony, bicycles can be taken on regional buses free of charge, provided there is space.
A bicycle ticket must be purchased to take it on trains in southern Lower Saxony.
Due to the high volume of traffic, you should not take your bikes with you.
Is the nine-euro ticket transferable?
no
It is personalized with the entry of your own name, similar to the Lower Saxony ticket.
Can I cancel or exchange the nine-euro ticket?
no
Even if it is lost, there is no free replacement.
Do nine-euro ticket customers have to be resident in Germany?
no
The ticket can also be bought by foreign tourists.
Can children use the nine euro ticket?
Children under the age of six travel for free when accompanied by an adult.
However, children over the age of six need their own nine-euro ticket.
There is no special children's ticket with this offer.
What about a transition to 1st class when the train is full?
That is not foreseen.
A separate first-class ticket must be purchased for this.
What if the train is overcrowded?
In such cases, trains may have to be evacuated if necessary.
If the safety of the journey is endangered by overcrowding, then there is no entitlement to take it with you.
The train attendants, who would get the anger, could also suffer.
What about students who have the semester ticket?
There is currently no information on this, not even on the homepage of the General Student Committee of the University of Göttingen.
The scope of validity is on a supplementary sheet.
Are there promises for the financial relief of public transport in southern Lower Saxony?
Limited.
So far, 2.5 billion euros have been pledged nationwide.
It is not yet clear how much of this will end up in southern Lower Saxony.
Frömming doubts that the necessary sum will arrive in the end.
What about the southern Lower Saxony trainee ticket?
It will be postponed by a month because of the nine-euro ticket and will probably be introduced on September 1st.
It enables trainees to use VSN transport for 30 euros a month.
What will travel be like during the nine-euro ticket period?
"We all have to be prepared for full trains on the main axes," says Frömming.
There could be problems there.
"The offer should be sufficient on the branch lines and in regional bus services."
Does the nine-euro ticket make sense from the point of view of the transport association Verkehrsverbund Südniedersachsen?
“Yes, to show the possibilities of local transport.
Many can test the offer once and will find out that it is quite attractive,” says Frömming.
From his point of view, the money could also have been used to increase the frequency of local transport.
"That would have had a lasting effect."
Further information on local public transport in the districts of Göttingen, Northeim and Holzminden can be found here.
(Bern Schlegel)
Nine-euro ticket: Pro Bahn passenger association fears bottlenecks on numerous regional routes in Lower Saxony
The Pro Bahn passenger association fears bottlenecks on numerous regional routes in Lower Saxony due to the nine-euro ticket.
Sections that are usually only served every hour are particularly affected.
Here is an overview:
RE 2:
Göttingen-Hanover,
RE 3:
Hanover-Celle-Uelzen-Lüneburg-Hamburg;
RE 1 and 8:
Bremen-Hanover;
RE 10:
Hanover-Hildesheim-Goslar-Bad Harzburg;
RE 5:
Cuxhaven-Stade-Hamburg;
RB 42/43:
Braunschweig-Goslar/Bad Harzburg;
RE 21:
Goslar-halberstadt hall;
RB 50:
Hildesheim-Wolfsburg;
RE 1
and
RE/IC 56:
Norddeich Mole-Bremen;
RE 60:
Rheine-Osnabrück-Minden-Hanover.
(bsc)
Until the end of March 2022, the 9-euro ticket for local transport left a few questions unanswered.
The implementation of the 9-euro ticket remained unclear for a long time.
