From this Sunday’s timetable change, families must pay more than double the previous fee for trips with two children, with costs increasing further for larger families.
Deutsche Bahn announced on its website that the family reservation service would be eliminated, drawing sharp criticism from various associations.
Going forward, all passengers—including children—are required to pay a seat reservation fee. Additionally, the price for reserving a seat in second class increased by 30 cents to 5.50 euros. In first class, the fixed seat reservation fee rose from 6.50 to 6.90 euros.
This means that instead of the former 10.40 euros for a family reservation, a family with two children will now pay 22 euros per journey. For a round trip, this totals 44 euros. Families who choose not to reserve seats risk being separated from their children or having to stand during the trip.
The ecological transport association VCD urged Deutsche Bahn to maintain the family reservation option. Its national chairwoman, Kerstin Haarmann, said that families with children depend on reserved seats. She pointed out that this change effectively amounts to another price increase only six months after the last regular adjustment in December. Haarmann advised the railway company to rely less on short-term discounts and instead make their offerings generally affordable.
Jörg Bruchertseifer from the passengers’ association Pro Bahn appealed to politicians and the company’s owners to give family trips greater price consideration to encourage environmentally friendly travel. He emphasized that for families, cost remains a critical factor compared to car travel.
Green Party politician Matthias Gastel sharply criticized the “massive increase in hidden costs,” calling it “outrageous given the current performance of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services.” In an interview with the Düsseldorf-based Rheinische Post, Gastel complained about poor punctuality, rising ticket prices, and declining service quality. He concluded that “this is simply too much all at once.”
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