Travel with reduced mobility

Assistance

The station and on-board staff of the railway company is obliged to pay special attention to the following people when they get on and off the train resp. during the journey and to provide them free assistance at any time:
a) People with disabilities or limited mobility
b) elderly people,
c) travelers with children and pregnant women,
d) Travelers with bicycles and large luggage.

Reserved seats 

Seats with pictograms are reserved for passengers with wheelchairs and other people with special needs. The transport of wheelchairs and other mobility aids is free of charge.

Tickets

People with disabilities or limited mobility need a valid ticket to travel and are entitled to the discounts announced by the railway company. In the case of trains that are subject to a surcharge, the surcharge must be paid, with the exception of wheelchair users who do not leave the wheelchair during the journey. Such passengers do not need to pay a surcharge.
If only 1st class cars are lined up on the train, people with disabilities or limited mobility - in possession of an appropriate ID proving their condition - can use 1st class seats that have remained vacant with a 2nd class ticket if they cannot safely sit in the 2nd class due to congestion or other reasons (e.g. plaster cast or the size of the seat is inadequate).
Such class changes to a higher class are only permitted on the train, with prior notification of the conductor and proof of authorization.

If the accompanying person stays in 2nd class, he or she is still entitled to the discount for accompanying persons, provided the conductor is notified in advance and the appropriate authorization is proved. If the accompanying person and the disabled person take a seat in the higher carriage class, the general rules for carriage in a higher class apply (e.g. class price difference, surcharge, etc.). Even when traveling in a higher class of car, the rules for taking hand luggage and animals must be observed. Passengers with a 2nd class ticket cannot buy 1st class supplements in advance, such as a seat reservation.

Special coaches, vehicles suitable for disabled people

For individual trips, people with limited mobility can use specially designed passenger coaches. In the timetable, trains with a built-in lifting device are marked with an icon. The lifting capacity of the lifting device is 300 kg. Trains that do not have a lifting device but are suitable for transporting wheelchair users are also marked in the timetable. In such a case, a mobile lifting device with a load capacity of 250 kg and a lifting surface of 800x1200 mm is required for travel. With rail vehicles that do not have a lifting device, travel is only possible between stops where such a device is available.

Notification of need for assistance 

The railway company must be notified of the need for assistance at least 48 hours in advance. If the passenger has a ticket that entitles them to several journeys, one notification is sufficient if it contains sufficient information about the date of the subsequent journeys. A passenger can only specify one train (in the case of changes, successive trains) in his application for the journey. In the case of unfounded, unnecessary or not canceled orders in good time, the railway company is entitled to have its additional costs incurred reimbursed by the passenger.

The railway company can only guarantee the ordered service if the passenger appears at the departure station 15 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

Reduced mobility travel request