HBFZOBFAQ
Register
HBFZOBFAQ

Train tickets for refugees

Tags
TransportRefugeeshauptbahnhof
Last Updated
Sep 24, 2022 5:00 PM
Date
ShowPublic

Regional trains

⚠️
🚅 Regional travel (Nahverkehr) starting June 1st isn't free anymore Refugees won’t be able to hop on regional trains not operated by VBB just with a passport from 01.06. They will need a paid ticket. Exception: they use regional train to get to their final destination while entering the country (e.g. refugee just arrived to Berlin via Poland and going further to Magdeburg with RE1). From 15.06. on a ticket is required also for VBB regional trains unless the train is used to reach a final destination while entering the country. The policy regarding free tickets for long-distance trains (Fernverkehr) doesn’t change though, they still can get a free ticket at the DB station at UG1. Solution: advise refugees to get a €9 monthly ticket starting June 1st (can be done at any train station machine or via BVG app) if they want to use regional trains (e.g. Frankfurt Oder). 🚃 They can still use public transport inside Berlin for free with just their passport until June 15th (BVG and VBB).

Public transport in Berlin

⚠️
Attention! Public transport in Berlin is no longer free for refugees from Ukraine.

Currently, there is no cheap option for public transport in Berlin. Once one is registered and has already interacted with the Jobcenter (and will receive Berliner Pass at some point), one could issue a Berlin Ticket S for EUR 27,50 per month. Details.

Note: you can already issue it before the Berlin Pass arrived, if you have a Leistungsbescheid already.

Long distance trains

Free Help Ukraine tickets are available for long distance trains such as

  • ICE
  • IC/EC
  • TGV
  • RJX
  • FLX (FlixTrain)

for people who recently arrived in Germany. Note: Without a ticket (be it a helpukraine or regular paid one), one will get fined.

Those (one time) free tickets can be booked via eToken - they are distributed on UG 1 (near Rossmann). Note: in the late evening, their ticket stand might be closed already 😕

More info in the Help Ukraine ticket:

Tickets at HBF

Paid train tickets to other countries

Please visit the Reisezentrum (Travel Center) on OG 1.

eTokens - DB

We observe that eTokens are increasingly handed out (and also create problems, as people are often left alone by the DB employees and are having problems to use the tokens, e.g. because of missing email account, no internet connection, no charged smartphone, reading ability).

However, the tokens could be used around the clock to book international tickets (but be aware, sometimes the booking system might malfunction).

Instruction:

HelpUkraine_eToken_instruction571.7KB

More details about traveling to other countries

Like Germany many other European countries offer free transport for people fleeing Ukraine.

Be aware: From Berlin, refugees can only get free tickets to destinations that Deutsche Bahn sells. For example DB cannot print a ticket that is valid all the way to Barcelona, but the will provide a ticket to the capital city of a neighbouring country. From there on refugees can get a new free ticket from a local travel center.

🦺 Volunteers at the Reisezentrum are specialist for each country and are regularly updated on news about tickets to other countries. Please consult them when dealing with tickets for refugees.

💡
If you’d like to help out with the Reisezentrum team please contact a coordinator (grey west) or write to https://t.me/reisezentrum – You’ll get an additional briefing to the usual volunteer briefing.

Overview of train routes INTO Germany

The following map displays possible long-distance routes from some Middle/Eastern European countries into Germany:

image
TwitterInstagram

Main homepage