Transport Minister Steffen Bilger pushes Deutsche Bahn to restore discounted family reservations

Push to restore discounted family tickets

German Federal Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger is urging Deutsche Bahn to bring back discounted seat reservations for families traveling on long-distance trains. The state-owned rail operator discontinued the flat-rate family reservation scheme in June 2025. Before that cancellation, families paid a fixed fee of 10.40 euros to reserve up to five seats together across long-distance routes. Under the revised pricing system, passengers must purchase each seat reservation individually, increasing total travel expenses for households. A petition organized by the passenger association Verkehrsclub Deutschland gathered more than 128,000 signatures demanding the return of the discounted package.

Bilger, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who took office as transport minister in late July 2026, confirmed that his ministry is actively discussing the reservation rules with railway leadership. Although he acknowledged that the withdrawal of the discount created justified customer dissatisfaction, Bilger also defended the operator, stating that Deutsche Bahn still maintains many good baseline offers for families. On Sunday, a spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn declined to provide specifics on the minister's proposal, stating that the company did not want to anticipate technical consultations.

“We are in talks with the railway about this.”

Rail network performance and delays

Beyond the reservation debate, Bilger described the current condition of Deutsche Bahn as completely inadequate. He linked persistent infrastructure issues and lengthy construction timelines directly to broader public dissatisfaction with public services. Asked about potential connections to recent state election setbacks in Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU experienced weak results, Bilger acknowledged that rail delays and transport bottlenecks play a role in voter discontent.

The minister noted that operational rail failures have been the most frequent grievance presented to him since he took office. Deutsche Bahn underwent leadership changes after the pricing shift, with Evelyn Palla taking charge of the state-owned corporation in late September 2025. Bilger maintained that federal investments in renovation and track maintenance will improve network punctuality over the long term, even though extensive corridor construction sites initially generate additional delays for passengers across Germany.

Autobahn speed limit and emissions strategy

In interviews with Funke Mediengruppe newspapers, Bilger also reaffirmed his opposition to establishing a general speed limit on the German Autobahn network. He argued that imposing mandatory speed caps would harm social cohesion, warning that many drivers would view the rule as an infringement on personal liberty.

“A speed limit would further reinforce division in the country, because many would perceive it as a restriction of their freedom.”

Bilger questioned whether a speed limit would deliver meaningful carbon dioxide reductions, arguing that high fuel prices and automated cruise control systems already lead motorists to drive slower voluntarily. On road safety, he asserted that German motorways without speed limits maintain better safety standards than highways in most European countries with statutory speed limits. The transport minister maintained that Germany can achieve its transport emissions targets through the ongoing expansion of electromobility rather than highway restrictions, pointing to a national fleet that now exceeds 3.6 million electric cars alongside an increasing number of electric buses.