Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will increase the number of trains running over busy routes during the Christmas period. The company wants passengers to be better able to follow coronavirus restrictions.
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has announced that more trains will be running on busy routes over the festive period: “Around Christmas, from December 22 to January 2, we will deploy an additional 100 or so special trains, especially on connections that are in high demand,” said Michael Peterson, CEO of DB Fernverkehr - a semi-independent division of Deutsche Bahn that operates long-distance trains in Germany.
The trains will be deployed on routes that are usually particularly busy over the holiday period, including the Berlin routes to Stuttgart, Munich, Essen, Düsseldorf and Cologne. Extra trains will also run on the route between Hamburg and Karlsruhe.
Deutsche Bahn is running the extra trains to ensure passengers can travel safely during the coronavirus pandemic, and in accordance with national restrictions. More trains mean that there is more space for passengers to keep a safe distance from each other while travelling. If asked, passengers also have to provide a valid COVID pass to use trains, trams and buses, since the government imposed 3G rules on public transport. Peterson said that mandatory face masks and regular cleaning will also help to make passengers feel safer.
Peterson also announced that more staff will be present at big stations across Germany: “We are also deploying around 40 service staff at each of the eight largest stations - in Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Mannheim,” he said. "The staff should help ensure that passengers are evenly distributed on the platforms. They also assist passengers with luggage to board and disembark.”
Deutsche Bahn’s winter timetable came into place on Sunday, and will run until June 11, 2022. The rail operator is planning on using more ICE Sprinter trains to decrease travel times, as well as increasing the number of direct connections.
Along with its winter timetable, Deutsche Bahn has also announced price hikes for long-distance train tickets. Tickets will be 1,9 percent more expensive, while the cost of Flextickets and route season tickets will increase by 2,9 percent. The price of Saver and Super-Saver tickets will not be affected.