Steinmeier travels in the Prignitz Express: A train journey of normality!

Steinmeier travels in the Prignitz Express: A train journey of normality!

It's a completely normal travel adventure for our Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. From July 1st to 3rd, he moved his official residence to Neuruppin and this time consciously decided to travel with the Prignitz-Express regional train. Steinmeier has booked a regular ticket and uses the train passionately for his business trips, without any special arrangements or escort. In doing so, he shows that even the highest office in the country can be completely down-to-earth. How maz online reported, however, special security measures apply that are only intended for the president and his accompanying team.

Steinmeier's journey does not bring about any major changes to the train passengers themselves. The Prignitz Express runs as usual, without locked carriages or access controls for other travelers. Only part of the railcar remains reserved for the accompanying team. No special precautions are taken on the platform, so passengers do not have to change their plans - a circumstance that is certainly well received.

Precautionary measures due to technical problems

Despite Steinmeier's relaxed arrival, one could almost say that Deutsche Bahn is a bit nervous. The reason for this are technical problems with the Prignitz Express diesel railcars railway blog post brings to the report. From February 6th, some of the trains will be sent to the workshop for around three weeks as a precaution after smoke developed in the drive module. These measures affect the RE 6 regional express line between Wittenberge, Pritzwalk and Wittstock, but a replacement rail service will also be set up between Hennigsdorf and Berlin-Spandau.

Now it gets exciting for travelers at this point: What does traveling by train look like under the current Corona measures? During the lockdown it was still possible to maintain distance, but the easing of restrictions is bringing many travelers back onto the trains. A current study shows that particularly long stays on fully occupied trains pose potential risks of infection travel reporter explained.

Rules for rail travel

The recommended distance rules of at least one meter for journeys of up to one hour and 2.5 meters for longer journeys should ideally also be adhered to on the train. All passengers are required to use hygiene protection products and masks are required on Deutsche Bahn trains. If you have forgotten your own, you can get help in the on-board bistro for a small fee. In order to protect the health of all guests, DB plans to reliably enforce these rules.

But don't panic: the ticket booking system offers a occupancy indicator that allows travelers to control their plans. If a connection is in high demand, ticket sales may be temporarily stopped, but it will always be ensured that there are enough unreserved seats available. Popular connections run across Germany, with holiday strongholds such as Rügen and Tyrol also being in focus.

It remains to be seen how the situation will develop, but Steinmeier's latest decision may send a standard signal: business trips by train are still an attractive option - also for politicians.