Deutsche Bahn struggles with low occupancy and rising costs despite Germany Ticket gains
Deutsche Bahn (DB) is facing ongoing challenges in its long-distance rail services, despite some financial improvements. While the company paid out €156.1 million in compensation for delays last year, it also saw a €100 million boost in pre-tax earnings. The introduction of the Germany Ticket in May 2023 has reshaped passenger numbers, but occupancy rates remain below pre-pandemic levels.
In 2025, average occupancy on DB's long-distance trains stood at 48%, down from 56% before the pandemic. The company aims to recover to that earlier figure, but persistent issues like construction delays and service disruptions continue to limit revenue potential. Major strikes in 2023 were avoided, which helped reduce compensation payouts by nearly €41 million compared to the previous year. Still, last year's €156.1 million in delay-related refunds was three times higher than in 2019.
The Germany Ticket, launched on 1 May 2023, has driven a 20–30% increase in long-distance train occupancy nationwide. Urban regions saw the biggest gains, with North Rhine-Westphalia up by 35%, Bavaria by 28%, and Baden-Württemberg by 25%. Rural areas, however, experienced smaller rises—just 10% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 12% in Saxony-Anhalt. Yet, the ticket has also drawn 15 million passengers away from long-distance services, particularly on routes where regional and intercity trains overlap.
DB Fernverkehr's financial struggles have weighed on the group's overall balance sheet. The division faced an extra €300 million in track access charges in 2023, while promised subsidies arrived at only half the expected amount. Despite these pressures, the company managed to improve its pre-tax and pre-interest earnings by over €100 million last year.
The Germany Ticket has boosted regional travel but created uneven demand across DB's network. With occupancy still below pre-pandemic levels and financial pressures persisting, the company must address service reliability and cost challenges. The coming years will determine whether DB can fully recover its long-distance revenue potential.
