Germany’s ruling party wants to continue the highly popular support ticket. Instead of nine euros, the party proposes 49 euros as a new fixed monthly ticket price.
Berlin/Schwerin/Hamburg The doors are closed, the train is full, the conductor announces. But many still try to get in.
– Warning, the doors will be closed by force, the warning is heard again from the loudspeakers.
Discipline has to be tough for the local train to continue from Charlottenburg in Berlin. Dozens of people with suitcases are left at the platform.
Among the last ones to get on board is a group of four friends. Frieda Kracht is on his way with his friends to Hamburg and from there further north to Itzehoe.
Instead of fast long-distance trains, they intend to use only local trains.
The reason for that is a campaign that was valid all summer in Germany, where a monthly ticket of 9 euros allowed you to travel throughout the country – but only on local and commuter trains.
The ticket sale, which ends at the end of August, concerned tourists in addition to permanent residents in Germany.
52 million tickets were sold
The ticket sale has been a huge sales success. On Monday, a representative of the transport operators said that a total of 52 million tickets have been sold.
A group of friends who have caught the local train are left standing in the corridor. All seats are reserved.
– Sometimes the trains have been catastrophically full. Sometimes you can only get on the second or third train, says Frieda Kracht.
Kracht still praises the opportunities brought by the support ticket. He says that this summer he traveled much more than usual in his home country thanks to the nine-euro ticket.
– I have been to Leipzig, Rügen and Potsdam, Kracht lists.
Covering long distances on local trains requires a special attitude. They don’t have a restaurant car, and there isn’t really any shelf space for luggage, because originally local trains weren’t designed for people traveling with large amounts of luggage.
Toilets can be found, but the toilet behind Kracht is closed.
Traveling long distances means numerous changes, and German trains are often late. The large number of passengers has caused overcrowding, which has contributed to delays. The connection may be missed.
Christian Franken should already be on another train, but he is standing on the platform in Schwerin. The first local train connection from Berlin was late, so the replacement connection to Hamburg had already left.
– Unfortunately, you can’t count on the fact that the change times will last. German railways have already extended the exchange times, says Franke.
You can get from Berlin to Hamburg in about two hours by IC and ICE long-distance trains, but Franke wanted to try traveling with a 9 euro ticket. Today it meant more than five hours travel time due to being late.
The ticket subsidy cost 2.5 billion euros
Still, it seems that some of the private drivers have been made to use public transport at least for the summer.
According to the German Transport Operators’ Ombudsman (VDV), about ten percent of trips made with the ticket were made on routes where ticket buyers had previously used a car. VDV estimates that 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions were cut with the ticket subsidy.
For many families, the inexpensive ticket has been the savior of the summer vacation. Originally moved from Iraq near Hamburg Abdulhamid Zunako has his children and his wife Chawan Omer with on the way to the Danish border.
The family has children aged two and eight. He praises the tender ticket.
– A one-way train ticket can usually cost more than a hundred euros. The nine euro monthly ticket is so easy and good!
The energy crisis raises the price of gas and electricity, which means an additional bill of hundreds of euros per family in the coming winter.
Germany’s ruling party, the social democratic SPD, would like to continue ticket support in some form. A ticket of nine euros for three months cost the federal government 2.5 billion euros. According to the German management, it can no longer be afforded.
According to SPD’s proposal, the new subsidy ticket would cost 49 euros per month.
What thoughts did the story evoke? You can participate in the discussion about train travel at Tunnus until Thursday, September 1. until 11 p.m.