When trains are delayed or canceled altogether, Deutsche Bahn provides compensation. Until now, this has applied regardless of the cause of the delay. From June 7, this will change: there will no longer be any money for cancellations and delays due to bad weather, sabotage or people on the tracks. This all falls under the term “force majeure”. This is the result of the new EU railroad passenger rights regulation, about which the European Consumer Center provides information. Strikes by railroad personnel, by the way, do not fall under the exemption rules. So if train drivers go on strike and the train doesn’t arrive because of that, passengers will continue to receive money. All these rules apply throughout Europe. (https://www.evz.de/reisen-verkehr/reiserecht/bahnreisen/fahrgastrechte-bahn.html)
If a train arrives at its destination 60 to 119 minutes late, passengers can claim back 25 percent of the fare. At two hours of delay, it is even 50 percent. In addition, affected rail customers are entitled to drinks and something to eat after an hour’s wait. Different rules apply to season tickets, such as monthly passes. In this case, compensation is only paid for delays of more than one hour. However, since compensation is only paid out if the delay exceeds 4 euros, commuters may end up empty-handed. In all cases, it is important to have the delay confirmed by the railroad. At the very least, you should take pictures of the display boards.
In the future, Deutsche Bahn will also be able to transfer its customers to other rail companies—in this case, they will for example travel with a Flixtrain instead of DB. You can also organize the onward journey yourself and send the bill to the railroad company. However, this must be clarified with the railroad company beforehand. This restriction does not apply if the railroad has not made an offer within 100 minutes after the scheduled departure of the train.
It is also important to have a through ticket for longer distances—for example, from Tübingen to Berlin. After all, anyone who books the route from Tübingen to Stuttgart separately and then misses the ICE train due to a delay in Stuttgart would otherwise only be entitled to compensation for the first leg. Problems could also arise for users of the 49-euro ticket. Those who have booked tickets at a “significantly reduced transportation charge” are not allowed to switch to long-distance trains if their local train is delayed by more than 20 minutes.
The deadlines have also changed: previously, it was possible to claim money back for a whole year because of delays or cancelled trains. From June 7, the deadline will be reduced to three months.
You can apply for compensation using the Deutsche Bahn passenger rights form. You can download the passenger rights form, fill it out and then hand it in at a travel center or send it by mail. Compensation for international tickets can only be applied for online. Further information is available directly from Deutsche Bahn. https://www.bahn.de/service/buchung/fahrgastrechte#formular
tun23052404
Jugendticket für Baden-Württemberg. Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL / Mostafa Elyasian.
001851
