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Frustration with a 9-euro ticket: When a train journey from the Allgäu to Munich becomes "horror".

2022-06-14T03:08:29.227Z


Frustration with a 9-euro ticket: When a train journey from the Allgäu to Munich becomes "horror". Created: 06/14/2022, 04:59 am By: Patrick Mayer A huge topic of conversation in Germany: the 9-euro ticket in times of inflation. © IMAGO / Sven Simon With the 9-euro ticket, I make my way from the Allgäu to Munich. What I experience in the packed regional train leaves me speechless. An experienc


Frustration with a 9-euro ticket: When a train journey from the Allgäu to Munich becomes "horror".

Created: 06/14/2022, 04:59 am

By: Patrick Mayer

A huge topic of conversation in Germany: the 9-euro ticket in times of inflation.

© IMAGO / Sven Simon

With the 9-euro ticket, I make my way from the Allgäu to Munich.

What I experience in the packed regional train leaves me speechless.

An experience report.

Munich/Allgäu - It's Monday afternoon, Wangen im Allgäu, the best summer weather: I'm in a good mood and well rested on my way home to Munich after visiting a friend on Lake Constance.

Of course I bought a 9 euro ticket in advance.

I've had slight stomach pains.

I knew: 400 overcrowded trains every day, 700 disruptions, thousands of overtime hours for the railway employees - a passenger association had expressed sharp criticism.

“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," Karl-Peter Naumann from Pro Bahn recently told the

German Press Agency (dpa)

.

9-euro ticket in Germany and Bavaria: Everywhere overcrowded trains and platforms

To put this into perspective: the 9-euro ticket is intended to help ensure that energy costs do not drift into the limit due to sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine war.

Instead, there is trouble everywhere.

"The feared physical assaults against the railway staff did not occur, but there were verbal ones," said the Vice Chairman of the General Works Council DB Regio, Ralf Damde, to the

editorial network Germany (RND)

: "Everywhere in Germany the platforms and the trains were full, in In several cases, overcrowded trains had to be cleared.”

In the video: 9-euro ticket - half of the people in Germany want to avoid the bus and train in summer

Since I'm Swabian and believe in clichés, I can't get around it, despite all my misgivings.

After all, it really doesn't get any cheaper than that.

But: After the outward journey on Friday (June 10th) was a spectacle, the return journey became a personal “horror” for me.

Why?

Four reasons.

1st reason: Packed trains and the "cuddle" factor because of 9-euro tickets

"Today you have the opportunity to get particularly close to each other." The conductor on the outward journey already had a special sense of humour.

She took the train, which was completely overcrowded at times, with smart irony.

"If no one was there before the last transfer, you now have a new opportunity," says the lady, in her mid-fifties, always with a smile on her face and with a "heart leaf" memory voice.

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On the way back, it is less harmonious at each stop at the platforms in the middle centers of the Allgäu.

In Buchloe and Memmingen in particular, the passengers pushed into the carriages with an elbow mentality, the same picture later in Pasing.

2nd reason: bicycles - 9-euro ticket demands a lot of tolerance

"Due to the high number of passengers, there is unfortunately no possibility of taking bicycles with you today." Another train announcement in 9-euro ticket times.

Nevertheless, individual cyclists do not adhere to the guidelines, squeezing their partly upgraded mountain bikes into the compartment before or after a mountainous tour through the Allgäu.

Conflicts are inevitable.

Standing room guests are pissed off that the bikes are pressing into their (hiking) calves.

And the cyclists are pissed off when the hikers lean on their bikes.

Although there is no other way because of the lack of standing room.

When a passenger starts playing with the bell of a mountain bike out of sheer nervousness, the owner has had enough.

"Hands off!

Viewing only allowed,” he snorts through the carriage like a raging bull.

Above all.

slapstick?

A bad joke?

Packed: the regional train between Allgäu and Munich.

©pm

Reason 3: "Bags are not entitled to a seat"

On the way back, Munich was still a little way off when the compartment in Buchloe was finally flooded.

One against all, all against one.

Selfishness takes over on the rails.

Negative highlights in this mixture are passengers who still occupy their row of four seats with two huge sports bags.

Not to forget the two (fashionably questionable) red suitcases in the aisle.

"Bags have no right to a seat," says a younger conductor into the microphone this time.

She tries very hard, but ultimately powerless.

Bags are not entitled to a seat.

Conductor on the regional train to Munich

4th reason: 9-euro ticket in Corona times - how was that again with the mask requirement?

"Corona isn't gone!" When a teenage boy squeezes past me, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is in my ear.

However, the young man obviously does not have a mask requirement at a distance of five centimeters.

After all, you have to experience how cool he chews his gum.

Announcements are automatically played by the train staff to please comply with the said mask requirement.

This is still binding.

But only half of the passengers are interested.

And so in the end I am only one thing: happy when the regional train finally pulls into Munich Central Station.

(pm)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-06-14

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