Families in rail chaos: Reservations become luxury!

Families in rail chaos: Reservations become luxury!

From June 11, 2025, Deutsche Bahn plans to abolish the family reservation. This means that a seat reservation has to be paid for every person, including children. The deletion of the family reservation will be effective with the upcoming timetable change on June 15 and ensures numerous criticism and resentment among travelers in advance.

Currently, the price for a family reservation in second class is 10.40 euros for up to five people. After the abolition, families will have to pay 5.50 euros for a seat reservation in second class, which is an increase of 30 cents. For the first class, the price increases from 6.50 euros to 6.90 euros. A family with two children will have to pay 22 euros for the reservation instead of the previous 10.40 euros. On a return trip, this adds up to a proud 44 euros. The DBG argues that children up to the age of 14 can travel free of charge accompanied by an adult, but this does not take into account the additional burden on families.

criticism and effects

The chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association, Detlef Neuß, described the price increase as "cheek" and warns that many families may switch to the car. The ecological traffic club VCD also vehemently criticizes the abolition of the family reservation and demands their maintenance. The Social Association of Germany emphasizes that additional costs will hit households with lower income.

Political reactions do not fail to do: The responsible Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU) and representatives of the Greens demand a rethink from the train and a return to the old prices. Christoph Ploß from the CDU emphasizes that families should not be excessively burdened. Matthias Gastel from the Greens emphasizes that the federal government has to take its responsibility more seriously and calls for improvements to the rail services for customers.

statistical background

Family reservation was only used by about 5% of long -distance travelers, which corresponds to around 6.7 million passengers. This number illustrates that the majority of the travelers do not use this offer. Nevertheless, the reaction of the associations and parties against the background of this renewed price increase is clear: the abolition is perceived as unfair and shows the negative development of pricing at Deutsche Bahn.

The discussion about the abolition of family reservations and the associated price adjustments raise important questions about the future of rail travel and could have a lasting impact on the travel behavior of many families. Associations are now calling for more attractive pricing for family trips to promote the railway as an environmentally friendly travel option.

Deutsche Bahn sees itself as a responsibility to recognize and react to the needs of its customers, especially at a time when environmentally friendly means of transport are becoming increasingly important.

For more information on the changes and your criticism, readers can be the articles at rp online , Tagesschau , and Volksstimme read.