Britain’s rail fares now fifty times more expensive than in Germany
Germany has introduced a new bargain ticket to entice people back onto their railways, making it fifty times cheaper to travel by rail in Germany than in the UK. For 9 Euros (less than £8) you can buy a whole month’s travel during June, July or August throughout all of Germany on local regional trains, trams and buses.
“We’re laying down the challenge for Britain to do likewise” said Ian Brown, director of the campaign group Railfuture. “German Railways have dramatically set out to get passengers back onto public transport. If an equivalent ticket were available in this country, you could travel from Dover to Crewe for just £7.72. Instead it will cost you £387.80 – more than fifty times more.”
“We are receiving reports that German trains are packed with people re-discovering sustainable rail travel. What a contrast with the dismal state of our railways, where the service is so poor that it’s effectively unusable in whole parts of Britain at many times, with passengers advised NOT to travel.
“We have a cost of living crisis and a looming climate emergency. The last thing we need is a situation where fares are so high that people are actively discouraged from travelling by rail. Railfuture challenges the government to get a grip and start to think of the people who support the industry – passengers.. Time to replace advice “not to travel by train” with a promotion to match that in Germany to get people back on our railways.”
Notes to editors:
Deutsche Bahn Terms & Conditions: https://www.bahn.com/en/offers/regional/9-euro-ticket-en
TPE Website Sunday 5th June: “We’re advising customers not to travel” - https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/strike
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