Germany’s 49-euro ticket will grant access to some long-distance routes

Travellers between Berlin and Brandenburg should look into this as it may benefit them in their particular situations

Germany’s pioneering Deutschlandticket (or D-Ticket), which has revolutionized the idea of accessibility to public transport is now going to expand into long-distance train routes. This happened after the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) concluded an agreement with the railway subsidiary DB Fernverkehr, to have the pass apply to certain routes connecting Berling and the State of Brandenburg.

Up until now, the D-Ticket would only grant its holders access to local and regional public transit networks, however, long-distance railway travel was off-limits.

Things are about to change after the two entities announced yesterday that the 49-euro pass will now also be valid for the following train routes:  IC connections Berlin Hbf - Elsterwerda and Potsdam Hbf - Cottbus as well as on the ICE connection Berlin Südkreuz – Prenzlau.

Another breakthrough in railway travel accessibility

The announcement shows that the D-Ticket is still a work in progress and that it potentially holds more pleasant surprises like this ahead as it sets up yet another precedent.

The discussions about an exception for connections in Brandenburg and Berlin between the railways and the VBB ran for months, however, which shows that it wasn’t easy to get to this solution.

Trains operated by DB Fernverkehr often serve both as long-distance and regional express trains, creating confusion among passengers who find them listed under local transport in the timetable.

The news underscores the fact that providing wide-range public transport accessibility can be an arduous task, which is not easy to implement – no matter how desired it is by most sectors of society.

In that regard, the Deutschlandticket will still not apply to any other long-distance routes except for those mentioned above.