Germany's 9-Euro-Ticket Causes Train Travel Frenzy

Germany's summer of super-discounted rail travel is coming to an end September 1 after three months in which local and regional trains in the country could be used for a very low 9 Euros ($9) per month. While calls for the continued incentivisation of ecologically-friendly rail alternatives have been plenty, some frequent train users are also breathing a sigh of relief as the ultra-cheap ticket lead to overcrowded trains and an increase in delays despite capacity increases.

According to data published by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, train trips almost doubled in touristic, rural regions from the beginning of June - when the ticket became valid -, while they increased by more than 50 percent in urban, non-touristic regions. Trips taken by road, however, did not majorly change in the average city and dipped only somewhat in rural, touristic locations.

A survey commissioned by the Association of German Transport Companies meanwhile showed that 52 million of the tickets were sold over the period of around three months up until the end of August. 10 million more were sold to monthly ticket holders, who received a discounted price on their rails subscriptions for the time period. Data from Deutsche Bahn shows that local and regional trains, for which the ticket was valid, were 6.1 percent and 7.7 percent late in April and May. This increased to 11.5 percent and 10.4 percent in June and July of 2022, an increase of around 4 percentage points.