Train chaos: Families now pay twice as much for reservations!

Train chaos: Families now pay twice as much for reservations!

Deutsche Bahn has made fundamental changes to seat reservations with the new timetable, which came into force on June 11, 2025. In particular, the abolition of family reservations is causing considerable discussion and discontent among travelers. Now it is becoming expensive for families to take advantage of seat reservations.

With the new pricing model, the railway increased the fees for reservations in second class by 30 cents to 5.50 euros. In first class the costs have risen from 6.50 euros to 6.90 euros. This results in a new cost scenario for families with two children: instead of the previous 10.40 euros, they will now have to pay 22 euros - a huge increase that even adds up to 44 euros for a return trip. This measure particularly affects families who previously benefited from the cheaper offer, reports Jaumann.

Criticism and outrage

The abolition of family reservations has met with widespread criticism. Associations and politicians are outraged by the measure, which makes it much more difficult for many families to travel by train, especially if they rely on reserved seats. The Ecological Transport Club of Germany (VCD) has started a petition to mobilize against this decision. A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport has already expressed doubts about Deutsche Bahn's measure, reports rbb24.

Interestingly, only around five percent of long-distance travelers have used family reservations, which corresponds to around 6.7 million travelers. However, the measure has a particular impact on family travel situations in which an adult is traveling with a child. For these travelers, family reservations have often been a financial advantage, as the previous costs were only the price of two seat reservations.

Voices from the industry

Jörg Bruchertseifer from the Pro Bahn passenger association calls for environmentally friendly travel to be made more financially attractive for families and points out that children up to 14 years of age can travel free of charge when accompanied by an adult. However, the question remains as to how sensible it is to use such price increases to force families to choose between taking the train or using other travel options that may be less environmentally friendly daily news.

Rail customers therefore have to prepare for higher costs and consider how they plan their trips in the future. Deutsche Bahn's decision will certainly cause further discussions in the coming weeks - both among travelers and political decision-makers.