Criticism Of New German Train Fares Grows

The overhaul of the German Federal Railway's pricing system, introduced on Dec. 15, was long overdue -- at least according to Deutsche Bahn.

But now that the changes have been in effect for two weeks, politicians and consumer protection groups are heaping a large serving of scorn and criticism on Deutsche Bahn CEO Hartmut Mehdorn.

"Obvious shortcomings"

Transportation experts from three of the four main political parties in Germany have come out to criticize the new fare structure.

The new pricing system has "obvious shortcomings," said Dirk Fischer of the conservative Christian Democratic Union. Fischer called on Bahn's Mehdorn to immediately redress the faults and reintroduce the discontinued "Bahn Card," which gave frequent riders a 50 percent discount on normally priced train fares. Green Party spokesman Albert Schmidt also demanded improvements to the new pricing system.

Horst Friedrich, transportation expert for the business-friendly Free Democratic Party, said making adjustments to the system after a year -- as Mehdorn announced he plans to do -- would be too late. The politician contended that six months is enough to recognize where changes need to be made.

A spokeswoman for the German Transportation Ministry told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper there have been "apparent starting difficulties," but the ministry does not intend to try to influence Deutsche Bahn, which though slated for privatization is still a government-owned entity.

Random checks undertaken by the consumer protection organization Stiftung Warentest and German newspapers suggest that many passengers are being overcharged for train journeys. The passengers organization Pro Bahn has also been highly critical of the new system, alleging that prices for some routes have increased 100 percent. Pro Bahn maintains that younger customers, in particular, are being stuck with greater fees.

Bahn CEO lashes back

But Bahn CEO Helmut Mehdorn hasn't taken the criticism gently. While not categorically denying that the new system is flawed, he has also aimed to discredit his critics. In an interview with the German newsmagazine Focus on Dec. 29, Mehdorn accused Stiftung Warentest, an independent institute, of being out of touch with reality and using one-sided test examples aimed at producing a negative result.

Mehdorn also dubbed Pro Bahn chairman Karl-Peter Naumann an "image obsessed functionary, who has to justify his raison d'être." Last week a German newspaper quoted Naumann as saying that every other train customer pays too much thanks to the new system. But the Pro Bahn head insisted on Dec. 23 that he was misquoted and hadn't made the statement attributed to him. Meanwhile, Mehdorn said that the quote was damaging to business. "We will hold Pro Bahn responsible for every setback now," Mehdorn ominously warned.

Deutsche Bahn announced it has already taken legal action against Naumann and, according to Mehdorn, further lawsuits against critics are planned.