Full trains and crowds on platforms at Pentecost

Created: 06/06/2022Updated: 06/06/2022 15:19

Passengers are waiting for their train at the train station.

© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/symbol image

Pentecost was the first endurance test for the 9-euro ticket.

Every year, a wave of travel sets in for the holidays.

This year, the incentives after corona-related restrictions and the discount campaign are great.

Berlin – The travel wave at Pentecost and the 9-euro ticket have led to overcrowded regional trains and delays in Berlin and Brandenburg.

"As expected, there were and are regional peaks in passenger numbers, especially to tourist destinations," said a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn on Monday.

At the Berlin Central Station and at the Gesundbrunnen station, however, there was a dense crowd on the regional lines to Rostock or Stralsund, especially on Saturday.

Travelers had reported that the trains were sometimes completely overcrowded, and some passengers had to get off again.

Bicycles could often not be taken along.

For Whit Monday, the train again expected a stronger rush due to the first return journeys.

She recommended that passengers obtain information from the local transport associations or via the DB Navigator shortly before starting their journey.

The train also asked travelers not to take their bike with them.

A spokeswoman for the Odeg railway company agreed with this request.

"The trains were very full, bicycles often had to stay outside," she reported.

On Monday, from the early noon, Deutsche Bahn increasingly said on Twitter: “Due to the exceptionally high number of passengers, it is no longer possible to transport or take bicycles with you.

Please choose another connection.” As on the previous days, the regional express between Berlin and Rostock via Stralsund or the RE1 between Magdeburg and Cottbus via Berlin were affected.

Federal police officers were on duty over Pentecost to support railway employees - for example when passengers had to be asked to leave overcrowded trains.

How often overcrowded trains had to be stopped was initially not known from the railways.

In Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt, federal police officers were called to an overcrowded regional express northbound on Saturday.

The train was more than 200 percent full, said a spokesman for the Federal Police on Sunday on request.

The train driver asked for help because travelers were not ready to leave the train, a spokesman for the federal police said.

In Brandenburg, too, federal police officers had to assist at Kirchmöser station in Brandenburg/Havel on Saturday to ask travelers from a regional express to Magdeburg.

According to Deutsche Bahn, the background in this case was a technical problem.

The Pro Bahn passenger association sees its criticism confirmed after the first endurance test for the 9-euro ticket on the Pentecost weekend.

“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.

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

"It is still too early for a detailed assessment," said the railway spokesman.

On the whole, operations were stable nationwide.

The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) will present an interim balance sheet for the sector in the middle of this week.

With the 9-euro ticket, passengers have been able to use local transport nationwide for a month since last Wednesday.

Tickets are sold for June, July and August.

This is intended to support commuters because of the sharp rise in energy costs.

For climate protection, new users should be persuaded to switch to the train.

According to the Association of German Transport Companies, around seven million tickets had been sold by last Tuesday.

dpa