Germany's Deutsche Bahn to Run More Summer Trains Than in 2019

Germany's passenger rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) will run more long-distance trains this summer than it did before the pandemic in response to strong demand.

DB will offer 20 percent more seats than it did in the summer of 2019, it said Saturday. The increase is both from operating more trains, and from the introduction of more "extra-large" ICE high-speed trains that seat roughly 1,000 passengers each.

The extra long-distance trains come as Germany anticipates record transport ridership this summer under the three-month "9 euro ticket," or pass, that covers all regional and suburban trains. In May, the head of DB’s long-distance rail division Michael Peterson said ridership that month was roughly 5 percent higher than in 2019.

"This summer, the desire to travel is greater than ever," Peterson said in a statement Saturday.