Train travel with children becomes more expensive: DB abolishes popular reservation

Anyone traveling by train with children and grandchildren wants one thing above all else: to sit together. But that's exactly what will become significantly more expensive for families starting today. With the timetable change on June 15, Deutsche Bahn is eliminating the family reservation option.

Thanks to this, parents previously only had to pay once for their family's seat reservation – children included. But that's now over: in the future, each family member will need their own reservation ticket.

"Children up to 14 years of age travel free when accompanied by a person 15 years or older – but if you want a guaranteed seat, you must book a paid reservation for that person," states the DB website. And that comes at a price: In second class, the cost will increase to €5.50 per seat. In first class, travelers will pay €6.90.

For a family with two children, this means: Instead of the previous €10.40 for a joint reservation, they will now pay €22 per trip. Those traveling there and back by train will pay €44 just for the seats.

According to MDR, around 5 percent of all long-distance travelers have used family reservations so far – this corresponded to around 6.7 million passengers last year.

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