Standardized Deutschland ticket with Photo Proposed for Rail Safety

Rhineland-Palatinate’s Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer (SPD) has called for a standardized nationwide Deutschland ticket featuring a photo, amid debate over improved safety measures following the fatal attack on a train conductor.

‍

“We have a great many Deutschland tickets that look different,” Schweitzer said on Sunday on ARD’s “Bericht aus Berlin.” Train conductors often have to ask passengers for identification, which can lead to “escalating moments,” he said. A uniform Deutschland ticket with a photo could resolve this issue.

‍

In early February, a 36-year-old train conductor was critically injured by a fare dodger in Rhineland-Palatinate and later died in hospital. The incident sparked nationwide shock. Deutsche Bahn chief Evelyn Palla convened a rail security summit with representatives from the federal government, the states, security authorities and railway unions. They agreed on a seven-point plan aimed at improving safety for passengers and railway staff.

‍

Under the plan, all railway employees with customer contact in regional and long-distance services, as well as at stations, are to be equipped with body cameras. In addition to the approximately 4,000 existing railway security personnel, 200 more employees are to be hired at DB Sicherheit. All customer-facing staff will receive an emergency button, and all employees will undergo de-escalation training.

‍

As a further key de-escalation measure, mandatory ID checks during ticket inspections on regional trains will be abolished from March 1. “We know that ID checks in particular carry a high potential for escalation,” the railway chief said. ID checks will then be left to the discretion of the inspecting employee.

‍

To prevent fraud in the absence of mandatory ID checks, Minister-President Schweitzer proposed introducing a new, standardized Deutschlandticket with a photo. He also said that video and audio recording through body cameras worn by railway staff was essential: “If we want maximum protection, there must be sound as well as image.” This would act as a deterrent “when it comes to aggression and is much, much more helpful in providing evidence afterwards.

‍