Many travelers use the Deutsche Bahn long-distance trains during the Corona crisis. But DB’s Corona concept has triggered a lot of criticism.
Frankfurt – Holidays more inland without problems when returning, fear of the next wave of infections with new restrictions: The current Corona situation seems to be directing many people to long-distance trains within Germany. ICE and IC are as full this summer vacation as they have been since the beginning of the pandemic – although 10,000 additional seats are available every day. And it shows: Deutsche Bahn’s hygiene and protection package is reaching its limits.
The group states the load factor in long-distance transport at 40 percent – an average value. “More than half of the seats are expected to be occupied,” read the passengers on the main routes in the travel information for many connections, regardless of the car class. A safety distance in the form of a free chair next door is no longer mathematically possible.
Reservations: Deutsche Bahn separates families from each other in Corona times
In view of the pandemic, Deutsche Bahn had adjusted its reservation system – and limited it to two thirds of the available spaces. However, this does not mean that the remaining seats must remain vacant: They are available to travelers without a reservation.
This sometimes creates strange situations when the workload increases. Because, for example, only three seats can be booked in a six-seater compartment of an ICE, a family with two children has to order the fourth seat elsewhere on the train. The more crowded it gets, the more likely the remaining spaces in the compartment will be occupied by strangers. The protection concept thus mixes travelers instead of keeping them together in households.
Deutsche Bahn in the Corona crisis – “Pro Bahn” is criticizing
Deutsche Bahn points out its own areas in which passengers from the same household “can travel together without any problems and can also reserve together”. On request, a spokesman names tables with four seats in the open-plan car.
Lukas Iffländer, Deputy Chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association, has to smile. “For weeks I haven’t seen any tables where all seats could still be reserved.”
Deutsche Bahn and the ICE: types, speed, routes
| ICE 1 | With the train, built from 1988 to 1993, Germany entered the high-speed age. Features: hump over the restaurant. Tempo 280, 58 vehicles, some of them run as far as Switzerland. Should be revised and shortened until 2030. |
| ICE 2 | Created from 1994 on; Looks like the ICE 1, but consists of two parts. Often used between Berlin and the Ruhr area with train division in Hamm. Without a hump over the restaurant. Tempo 280, 44 vehicles. |
| ICE 3 | Fastest ICE to date at 330 km / h, inland up to 300 km / h. Built since 1997. Consists of eight cars, mostly in pairs on tour. Features: front dynamically pointed, with colored stripes on the front. Seen a lot on the high-speed routes Cologne – Frankfurt and Nuremberg – Erfurt. 49 vehicles; 16 more with Belgium and Netherlands registration. Since 2009 there have been another 17 trains (with square door glass) that also go to France. The ICE trains that have now been ordered are of the same type. |
| ICE T | Designed for routes beyond the racetrack. Gets up to 230 km / h and takes corners quickly thanks to the tilting technology. Also pointed, but without colored stripes at the front. In Hesse on the way between Darmstadt, Frankfurt, Gießen and Kassel. Built since 1996. 59 trains with seven cars, eleven vehicles with five cars. A diesel variant no longer rolls for passengers. |
| ICE 4 | Current standard vehicle. Long train with square door glasses, wide at the front. A lot on the main routes from north to south to Switzerland. 50 ICE trains with twelve cars for a speed of 250 have been delivered, and a further 37 trains with seven cars and 50 vehicles with 13 cars have been ordered, which will then be able to run at a speed of 265. |
| Intercity / Eurocity | The classic IC cars are decades old and should be replaced. The earlier interregional vehicles without air conditioning have already been sorted out. Since 2015, the railway has been using double-decker cars known from regional traffic as Intercity 2. 23 trains have also been ordered from the Spanish manufacturer Talgo, which are to run as EC from 2023. |
Reservations with Deutsche Bahn: Pro Bahn passenger association is critical
According to the association’s observations, the protection concept works up to a utilization of 50 to 60 percent. Here it helps to distribute the passengers across all cars. “But we are often over it now. And then the reservation system creates more chaos and dissatisfaction than if you were to give it up altogether ”. There are arguments between the travelers, and it is not uncommon for them to vent their displeasure on the train crew.
It is also conceivable for the passenger association to increase the proportion of seats that can be reserved parallel to the occupancy rate. And for family reservations in one compartment, the restrictions could be eliminated entirely. “It can’t be that difficult from a technical point of view,” adds Iffländer, who works in the IT industry.
Deutsche Bahn: Corona infection risk low
Pro Bahn and the transport company agree that travelers should also be able to travel spontaneously and without reservations in the future. “In particular, regular customers such as Bahncard holders and commuters who want to travel flexibly choose the Bahn for precisely this reason: because they like being able to get on a train at any time,” explains the group.
XXL-ICE
Long train: Since the timetable change in June, Deutsche Bahn has been using ICE for particularly long periods of time. These are vehicles of the youngest, fourth series, which contain an additional second-class car with 88 seats. The train manufactured by Siemens offers a total of 918 seats and is 374 meters long. It rolls between Hamburg and Zurich or Munich. Deutsche Bahn likes to talk about an XXL ICE. She has ordered 50 of the 13-car trains; Ten of them have been delivered so far.
Fast train: Since the additional car, lined up with the serial number eight, has a drive, it increases the maximum speed of the entire ICE to 265 kilometers per hour. The initially delivered 50 ICEs of the series with twelve cars manage 250 kilometers per hour. The higher maximum speed is primarily intended to help catch up on delays. However, the ICE with the angular power cars will not be sprinters. Other ICE trains run at speeds of up to 300 km / h in Germany. bay
On Deutsche Bahn trains, passengers must wear a mouth and nose protection, on long-distance trains preferably an FFP2 mask. After initial difficulties, this is now also handled by the overwhelming majority of passengers. The company also refers to studies according to which the air conditioning systems in the ICE completely renewed the air every seven minutes. Therefore, the risk of infection on the trains is low. (Michael Bayer)
