€9 rail pass: This is how much Germany's cheap train tickets increased passenger numbers

euronews.com:

Short distance train travel in Germany has surged over the past few months - partly thanks to the country’s ultra-cheap summer rail pass.

The number of passengers travelling short distances by rail “markedly increased” over the second quarter of 2022, Germany’s federal statistical office Destatis has revealed.

Compared to the first quarter of the year (January to March), short distance rail transport is up 46 per cent.

“The increases are probably due to the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions and the 9-euro ticket available since June,” a Destatis statement estimates.

But how much has the ticket reduced car traffic?

In May, Deutsche Bahn - Germany’s rail authority - introduced a heavily subsidised pass to help people deal with rising inflation and encourage sustainable travel.

The €9 a month ticket offers passengers unlimited use of local and regional trains between June and August.

The heavily subsidised pass has been hugely popular. Around 21 million €9 tickets were sold in June alone, Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) figures show. That’s on top of the roughly 10 million subscribers who automatically received the discounted ticket.

According to weekly surveys of 6,000 public transport users by Deutsche Bahn and the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), one in five people have been encouraged to switch to public transport for the first time.

But other surveys suggest that road transport has not dropped significantly.

A study by the Technical University of Munich showed that while 35 per cent of the 1,000 study participants took the bus and train more often, just three per cent used their own vehicle less often.

Nonetheless, study leader Klaus Bogenberger said that this could increase over time.

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