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The railway itself referred to blocked or partially blocked routes due to renovations. The use and sale of the 49 euro banknote has recently increased, the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) announced on Wednesday.
Already many of the trains to the sea and the mountains are “full to overcrowded,” Pro Bahn honorary president Karl-Peter Naumann told newspapers of the Funke media group. However, an urgently needed expansion of connections on busy routes is not possible. “The railway cannot expand its connections because there is a lack of wagons and staff, and the platforms would not be sufficient for longer trains.”
Berthold Huber, the railway board member responsible for the railway network, referred to extensive renovation work on the railway network in the coming months in view of the European Football Championship in 2024. It cannot be otherwise,” he told the magazines “Stern” and “Capital” .
Major routes completely closed
Key routes such as Mannheim-Frankfurt or Hamburg-Berlin would be renovated and closed completely for months, Huber said. “We are not only rebuilding the tracks, switches, superstructure and signal boxes, we are also increasing capacity with other measures.” Unfortunately, large parts of the German railway network have been worn out for decades. Travelers are expected to “feel sequential improvements from the end of next year,” Huber said. By 2030, “all major corridors” must be renovated.
The sale and use of the Deutschlandticket are increasing
The VDV presented current figures for the Deutschland ticket: according to them, 9.6 million passengers used the ticket in June, compared to nine million in the introduction month of May. “If demand continues to develop in this way, we will achieve the sales figures predicted by the industry in the near future,” explains VDV chairman Ingo Wortmann.
A total of eleven million subscriptions have now been sold. Of these, 46 percent are converted subscriptions, 44 percent are new subscriptions from people who previously traveled by public transport, for example with single tickets or other subscriptions, and 8 percent are new customers who have hardly ever used public transport before. In total, 18 percent have a Germany ticket as a job or company ticket.
Respondents cited national validity (41 percent) and price or savings (36 percent) as the most common reasons for buying the ticket. 22 percent mentioned environmental protection. Reasons against this were often that the ticket was not worth it or was underused (41 percent) and that it was not necessary (38 percent).
Regarding the price of the ticket, which was advertised with an “introductory price” of 49 euros, the VDV explained that the introductory phase was “politically agreed upon for two years”. The association therefore assumes that it will remain at 49 euros during this period. However, an increase afterwards is possible. More resources are also needed for a better offer in both rural and urban areas.
Naumann of Pro Bahn drew mixed conclusions about the Deutschland ticket. Especially “former subscribers and regular train passengers” have switched and are now often cheaper. But the ticket “didn’t lead to a major shift in traffic from cars to rail.” The main reason for this is the lack of supply outside the larger cities and in the countryside.
Like the VDV, he pleaded for an urgent expansion of the rail service. This is the only way to win more customers. In addition, car traffic must become more expensive due to higher parking costs and city tolls.
(AFP)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
