Dhe passenger association Pro Bahn expects many overcrowded trains to popular destinations by the sea and in the mountains during the summer holidays because of the Deutschland-Ticket. “Already today, many of these trains are full to overfull,” said the honorary chairman of Pro Bahn, Karl-Peter Naumann, to the newspapers of the Funke media group (Wednesday editions). The Germany ticket introduced two months ago costs 49 euros.
An urgently needed increase in connections on heavily used routes is not possible, said Naumann. “The railway cannot expand its connections because there is a lack of wagons and personnel, and the platforms would not be sufficient for longer trains.”
Pro Bahn calls for expansion of the offer
The Pro-Bahn honorary chairman draws mixed conclusions about the Germany ticket. Above all, “former subscribers and regular train passengers” have switched to the 49-euro ticket and are now mostly cheaper. But the ticket “didn’t lead to a major shift in traffic from cars to rail,” Naumann summed up.
The main reason for this is the lack of supply outside of larger cities and in rural areas. The route network is often insufficient, and buses and trains run too rarely and only at large intervals, criticized Naumann.
He urgently called for an expansion of the rail service from politicians. “You don’t win new customers with the price, but only with a better offer,” he said. In addition, car traffic would have to be made more expensive due to higher parking costs and city tolls. “Without restrictions on car traffic, there will be no shift in traffic.”
Naumann is critical of the different regulations in the federal states for additional costs for bicycles, additional tickets for first class or discounts for students. A uniform nationwide regulation is required here, said Naumann. In addition, the transport companies had failed to digitize the ticket system. “There are still tickets available both digitally and on paper. The digital transformation was missed here,” he criticized.
#Passenger #association #warns #overcrowded #trains #summer #holidays