Deutsche Bahn has announced its new summer timetable, extra services during the European Football Championships and several changes to travel policies. Here’s what passengers need to know:
Ahead of the holidays, Deutsche Bahn introduced its new summer timetable on June 9, which will be in place until the 2025 timetable is adopted on December 14.
The new schedule will see more trains added to three existing routes; Swiss trains running between Frankfurt, Zurich and Milan, Austrian ÖBB Railjet trains between Munich and Verona and additional CD Comfortjet trains on the Berlin - Dresden - Prague route.
On the Frankfurt - Brussels - Amsterdam route, Deutsche Bahn will phase out its ICE3neo trains.
There will also be several disruptions across German tracks throughout the summer months. From July 16, the Riedbahn journey between Frankfurt and Mannheim will take 30 minutes longer than normal.
Between July 16 and August 12, renovations will take place on the high-speed line between Cologne and Frankfurt Airport. Mid-August renovations will also mean a 45-minute extended journey on the Berlin - Hamburg route.
Changes are also coming for Deutsche Bahn’s subscription and seat reservation models. From June onwards Deutsche Bahn’s subscription cards, Bahncard 25 and Bahncard 50, will no longer be available in physical form.
Instead, Bahncard 25 or 50 holders will need to make a profile on the DB app or website, so that they can show a digital version of their card to conductors. If you would prefer to keep a physical version too, you can print out a copy from the app or website. Anyone who already has a physical Bahncard 25 or 50 can continue to use it until it expires and Bahn 100 cards will still be available in physical form.
As regular passengers on Deutsche Bahn know, it is necessary to book a seat reservation on top of your journey ticket if you want to be certain of getting a place to sit. From June 9, the cost of booking a spot will increase, to 5,20 euros per person in second class and 6,50 per person in first class.
With millions of football fans expected to arrive in Germany between mid-June and mid-July, Deutsche Bahn is also making some changes to accommodate heavy footfall during the Euros. The rail company has made “around 10.000 additional seats available per day” by adding more carriages and extra services, including through the night.
Anyone lucky enough to get tickets to the games should also be aware of Deutsche Bahn’s transport deal with UEFA, which allows people with a ticket to watch a Euro 2024 match in a host city to purchase DB train tickets for just 30 euros. The ticket will also be valid on public transport once fans arrive in the host city.
Additionally, fans can buy a Fan BahnCard 25 until June 16, which will give them 25 percent off all Deutsche Bahn journeys for three months.
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