9-Euro-Ticket in Bonn and region Rush of passengers causes overcrowded trains and long delays
Bonn · Over the Whitsun weekend, many people made use of the 9-Euro-Ticket. At the same time, several large events took place in Bonn. This led to overcrowded trains and sometimes long waiting times. According to the railway, things should be better in the coming weeks.
The introduction of the 9-Euro-Ticket caused crowded trains and full platforms in Bonn and the region at the weekend. In addition, there were cancellations of trains. On Saturday, visitors to the Querbeat festival in the Rheinaue were stuck at Bonn's main station and in Ramersdorf on their way home. The special trains used by the public utility company only partially relieved the passenger load.
Local traffic in Bonn: Hours of waiting for a walk-on train
A reader wrote to our editorial office after her experiences over the weekend that she would increasingly switch to the car and avoid local transport in future. She had been travelling for hours in the direction of Siegburg, partly because of cancelled trains, partly because of unexpected timetable changes.
Another reader reported a two-hour wait on the platform before she could travel to Düsseldorf. She had simply had to skip several regional trains because they were filled to the brim. "I was just about to turn around and skip my birthday," she said.
Upon request, the municipal utility told our editorial staff that Deutsche Bahn had asked in advance for additional trains between Cologne and Bonn to relieve the regional trains. According to SWB, they complied, but were only able to deploy two additional trams.
SWB spokeswoman Stefanie Zießnitz said that there were also delays of up to 40 minutes on the company's own lines, for example on tram 66. This was due to the good weather, several major events in the Cologne/Bonn area and the 9-euro ticket. The driving staff had to work longer on Saturday night. Zießnitz also pointed out that bicycles should not be taken along if possible. The trains should be kept free for people with walkers, prams or wheelchairs. Deutsche Bahn NRW has a similar opinion on the transport of bicycles. This cannot be guaranteed in the near future.
This is how the transport companies are preparing for the coming weeks
DB Regio NRW has assigned more than 50 service and security staff to cope with the rush. To ensure that passengers get on and off the train smoothly at the platform, DB is planning to deploy coordinators for passengers at 17 particularly busy, large stations in NRW, especially at weekends and on public holidays. In addition to providing information, they will ensure that passengers are better distributed on the platform so that everyone can board and disembark as quickly as possible and the trains can depart on time. According to the press release, cleaners and repairers are also working extra shifts and weekend shifts to cope with the situation. Due to the increased number of passengers, DB Regio is running more than 50 additional trains.
