Mother fights in overcrowded ICE: Deutsche Bahn is criticized!

Mother fights in overcrowded ICE: Deutsche Bahn is criticized!

On May 11, 2025, a mother with her three children had to be in a crowded ICE for hours, which was not only for her, but also for hundreds of other passengers. GiTi K. expressed her displeasure on Deutsche Bahn on LinkedIn and described the dramatic situation during her trip from Munich to Cologne, which was supposed to be relaxed. "I could cry with anger," she wrote after she had come into a chaos train despite regular bookings with flex tickets and without reservations. The connection had preceded a delay, so that it was forced to switch to a crowded ICE. In the family area, where she hoped to find a place, there were childless passengers, which led to her daughter cried with exhaustion and the children had to be in the corridor.

The train staff was unfortunately not very helpful. A DB Schaffner not only instructed Giti K. not to draw any other passengers' attention to the situation, but also assumed that she would incite her daughter against him. The mother felt treated unfairly and suspected that her migration background played a role in the treatment. However, Deutsche Bahn indicated that the seats in the family area are not priority places and that only families can only find space in the toddler area. Reservations are also recommended, but not absolutely necessary. In the event of conflicts, the train staff is not even obliged to ask for passengers to get up, but should provide support.

A wide field: child -friendliness in rail traffic

In the discussion about more child-friendly lanes, the incident of GiTi K. is not the first of his kind. Especially the Greens in the Bundestag criticize the insufficient number of family and toddler compartments in the long-distance trains of Deutsche Bahn. Currently there are only 430 wagons with separate toddler compartments and only 182 wagons with family areas in closed compartments. On average, there are often no more than one or two toddler compartments and two to three family compartments available in an ICE. This is particularly the focus when more passengers with children are to be won for the train. Sven-Christian Kindler, spokesman for household spokesman for the Greens, urgently demands more space for strollers, play options and fair prices for families to achieve the desired doubles by 2030.

The figures in rail passenger traffic speak a clear language: the proportion of these means of transport in total traffic was only 10% in 2024, while the federal government pursues the goal of increasing passenger numbers in local public transport. Punctuality is the most important criterion for passengers in local transport. The incidents such as that of GiTi K. also throw a crooked light on what is often seen as a child -unfriendly transport in Germany.

The way to the turn of traffic

Another aspect of the traffic transition in Germany is the increased use of trains and buses to reduce emissions. The Federal Government relies on a reduction in road dead and an improvement in the quality of life in cities through more space for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The discussion about child -friendliness on the trains will probably continue to gain drive, especially against the background that more than 30% of working in 2024 used local public transport for their way to work. The Germany ticket, which has just been put into operation, is also seen by many multi -km as an incentive to make rail traffic more attractive, but the question of child friendliness remains an open chapter.

In the comments on Giti K.'s Linkedin-Post, agreement can be determined: there is a need to catch up in Germany when it comes to the unforgivors in family friendliness at Deutsche Bahn. Suggestions such as the introduction of reservation obligations or emergency protocols for families have already been loud. Hopefully Deutsche Bahn will take the experience seriously and will soon contribute to improvement. Perhaps trains as child -friendly means of transport could be very popular in the future.