Deutsche Bahn Gets Pricey

Deutsche Bahn has revealed that despite widespread protest, it's all set to raise its prices by an average 3.5 percent. According to German press reports, the price hike will come into effect with the introduction of the next schedule in December. Hardest-hit will be long-distance travellers, with journeys of over 400 km costing some 4,2 percent more. 2nd class ticket will be an average 3.1 percent more expensive, and 1st class tickets will be 6.5 percent more expensive. According to the daily Tagesspiegel, passengers embarking on journeys of distances between 100 km and 300 km will be digging in their pockets for an extra 3.3 percent. While Deutsche Bahn cited rising energy costs as the reason for the price hikes, the Greens criticized the plans as "a misconceived strategy at the cost of the passengers."