Look carefully
Tariff confusion: According to Bahn, the 9-euro ticket is not valid on all regional trains
Red or white? DB long-distance trains (white) cannot be used with the 9-euro ticket, even if they are used for local transport.
© Christoph Hardt / Panorama Pictures / Picture Alliance
Also read the fine print: the 9-euro ticket is more complicated than you think. As Deutsche Bahn admits, not all regional trains can be used with the flat-rate ticket.
With the 9-euro ticket in June, July and August across the country. Travel by train as much as you want and wherever you want. The only rule: Only night trains may be used. It could be that easy. Could.
Because it’s going to be a little more difficult. As Deutsche Bahn made clear on Thursday, local trains are not always on the list for local trains.
The train types Regionalbahn, Regionalexpress, Interregioexpress and S-Bahn are considered to be such in the area of the state-owned company. ICEs, Intercitys and Eurocitys may not be used as long-distance trains with the 9-euro ticket.
9 euro ticket not valid on all regional trains
And this is where things get complicated and even strange – and actually only something for true timetable lovers: trains that are both local and long-distance trains operate on several German routes.
For example, long-distance trains run on the connection from Bremen to Norddeich Mole, from Stuttgart via Singen to Constance or from Berlin to Doberlug-Kirchhain, which can also be used with local transport tickets. The reason: An intercity line on these connections would often be uneconomical, so that the federal states subsidize long-distance journeys, but also require passengers with local transport tickets to be taken along.
At the stations and in the timetables, these trains are usually announced with numbers from long-distance and local traffic, for example “IC 281/RE 50281” for a connection from Stuttgart to Singen (Hohentwiel). In these cases, Deutsche Bahn’s Internet timetable information also says: “Local transport tickets are accepted.”
However, this no longer applies to all connections from June 1st. The note “9-Euro-Ticket not valid” appears here in small letters. When asked, Deutsche Bahn clarified on Twitter: “The 9-euro ticket is not valid on trains operated by DB Fernverkehr AG (e.g. IC, EC, ICE), even if other local transport tickets are used on long-distance trains are valid.”
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If you want to travel with the 9-euro ticket, you have to be careful in the future: not every local train is also a local train. You then have to read very carefully which group company operates the train: DB Fernverkehr (usually white coaches with red stripes) or a DB regional company (often red coaches with gray stripes). Because: It is not possible to filter according to this in the travel information. Discussions with the conductors seem programmed.
However, there is still a glimmer of hope: According to Bahn, negotiations are still underway with the transport authorities (i.e. usually the federal states) about a possible recognition of the 9-euro ticket. An offer was made to them.