Rail Travel Becoming More Costly - A Look at German Rail's Controversial Changes
Deutsche Bahn under Fire: Perceived 'Hidden' Price Hike Met with Controversy
Get ready to shell out more for comfortable rail travel if you're a family on a budget or a group of friends planning a trip on Germany's state-owned railway, Deutsche Bahn (DB). Starting this Sunday, DB is overhauling its timetable and pricing policy, and the changes aren't sitting well with passengers.
Among the significant changes, the family reservation option will bid adieu, forcing all passengers, including children, to pay for pre-booked seats. To add salt to the wound, the prices for these reservations are on the rise as well. In the lower-priced second class, the cost increases from 30 cents to 5.50 euros. Meanwhile, first-class passengers will now pay 6.90 euros instead of 6.50 euros for pre-booked seats. This means that a family of four, including three children, would pay a whopping 38.50 euros in second class, up from the current 10.40 euros for a family reservation. A first-class family trip would now cost 69 euros, a stark contrast to the previous 13 euros.
As one might expect, this move has sparked heated criticism from various quarters. The ecological transport club VCD has urged DB to maintain the family reservation option, arguing that it is essential for families with children. The federal chairwoman of the VCD, Kerstin Haarmann, commented that families now face "a de facto price increase," just six months after the previous regular hike in December. She advised DB to "focus less on short-term discount actions and instead keep the general offer affordable."
The chairman of the passenger association Pro Bahn, Detlef Neuss, shared similar sentiments, stating that families would now pay "twice as much," which he politely referred to as "not right" and "unfair." The price increase could potentially drive families to opt for cars over trains for shorter trips, such as visiting relatives, a prospect Neuss warned against. He implored DB to "revert to the old price if possible" and called on the federal government to step in and ensuring they fulfill their supervisory duties.
The Union also weighed in, with transport expert Christoph Ploß of the CDU suggesting that DB should rethink its approach. He believed that seat reservations were beneficial in managing and optimizing the use of trains for the passengers' convenience. However, he stressed that families should not be burdened unfairly.
Matthews Gastel, a rail expert from the Greens, took a harsher stance, branding DB's approach as "greedy" given the company's subpar performance. Gastel suggested that DB was passing on its poor performance to passengers through multiple channels, including ticket price hikes and deteriorating services. He expected DB to "deliver more of what customers expect" and demanded a more proactive role from the federal government in ensuring that the railway company met its obligations.
With mounting criticism and nominal evidence of improvements in rail services, one may wonder if DB's decisive actions are financially motivated or aimed at pushing passengers toward more expensive travel options. For now, all we can do is brace ourselves for increased costs and consider alternative modes of transportation.
[1] ntv.de[2] mpa/dpa
Keywords: German Rail, Prices, Families, Hikes, Pro Bahn, Alliance 90/The Greens, CDU.
- The controversial changes in German Rail's policy and pricing have led to criticism from various quarters, including the ecological transport club VCD and the passenger association Pro Bahn, who argue that families with children should not bear the brunt of the price hikes in vocational training, finance, and business-related contexts.
- The Union, represented by transport expert Christoph Ploß of the CDU, has suggested that seat reservations, a form of vocational training aimed at optimizing train use, should benefit passengers, but not at the expense of families.
- Rail expert Matthews Gastel from the Greens has called DB's approach "greedy" and criticized its financial motives, stating that the company should deliver better services rather than passing on its poor performance through price hikes and deteriorating services, which is a political and policy-and-legislation issue of general news interest.
