Germany’s plan to encourage tourists to travel more by train by lowering the price to 9 euros (approximately 330 hryvnias) has given its first results. Such data was published by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis) based on the results of June, the first favorable month for travelers.
The analysis took into account trips over a distance of 30 km or more. According to the results of the month, experts concluded about a surge of interest in rail travel based on a special assessment of mobile network data. “In June 2022, rail traffic in Germany was on average 42 percent higher than in June 2019. In May 2022, they were three percent higher than in May 2019,” the administration said in a statement.
The same report showed that in June 2022, rail transport had a huge demand compared to the same month in the year before 2019. On the other hand, intra-German air transport suffered the sharpest decline, falling by 49 percent by the end of the month.
On June 1, Germany reduced the price of a train ticket to 9 euros (about 330 hryvnias) and made it affordable for everyone traveling in second class. The purchased ticket is valid for one calendar month, while the discount program as a whole will be valid until August 31.
It was clarified that the ticket can be used in all types of public transport in Germany on any local or regional route. You can buy discount tickets an unlimited number of times. The only thing that upset the Germans is that the ticket does not apply to long-distance trains or buses that make long journeys. It is noted that for those who bought tickets earlier when there was no promotion, the state returned the difference that tourists paid more than 9 euros for these three summer months.
According to Deutsche Bahn AG, which is Germany’s national railway company, the increased tourist traffic has made it difficult for cyclists to move. So, a restriction has been introduced for lovers of the ecological form of rail transport: they are prohibited from traveling along popular tourist destinations from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., as well as from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays, and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays days. due to increased demand for travel these days.
“On busy days there may be increased demand on some local and regional trains and stations due to the €9 ticket. For safety reasons, the train crew may decide not to allow bicycles anymore. Parking spaces cannot be reserved on local transport,” the company’s message read.