Punks are drawn to Sylt with a 9-euro ticket – regional trains “very much in demand”
With the 9-euro ticket to Sylt – “Want to do a bit of Remmi Demmi”
Up to 1000 passengers fit in the regional express to Sylt, every half hour a train arrives at Westerland station. The island had already prepared for days of chaos. WELT reporter Farina Fichtner-Zenker is on site and reports.
The 9-euro ticket attracted many tourists to the North and Baltic Seas over the Pentecost weekend. Because of overcrowded trains, some passengers had to stay behind on the platform. Punks met on Sylt – to sit together peacefully.
AIn the North and Baltic Seas, the Pentecost weekend has started with full trains and full streets. In particular, the regional trains, which travelers with the 9-euro ticket could use to visit the beach, were well utilized on Saturday – sometimes overcrowded.
On Whit Saturday, numerous tourists, day visitors and punks arrived by train on the island of Sylt, which was proclaimed to be the dream destination for 9-euro travelers on social media. Punks and left-wing groups had talked a lot about Sylt in the debate about the 9-euro ticket; calls to “board” the island also made the rounds.
Sylt’s Mayor Nikolas Häckel (independent) told the German Press Agency on Saturday afternoon that the island was only full in certain areas, the situation was relaxed. The police are on patrol in the relevant areas. Photos and videos showed punks gathering peacefully in Westerland.
In the inner city of Westerland on Sylt, punks sit together and drink beer
Source: REUTERS
A police spokesman had previously emphasized that the situation on Sylt was calm. There were no major operations during the night either. A group of 50 to 80 punks who had been on the island for a few days had “been a little loud”, but that wasn’t anything special either.
The situation on Pentecost Saturday was also relaxed on the Baltic Sea in the Bay of Lübeck. Numerous vacationers and day visitors enjoyed the sun and the beach. An employee of the tourist information center in Niendorfer Hafen summarized the situation at noon as it was full, but not overcrowded.
“As expected, there is very high demand for regional trains”
When arriving from the metropolitan regions on the North and Baltic Seas or other tourist destinations, however, there was a great rush. “As expected, regional trains, especially to tourist destinations, are in very high demand today,” said a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn. Passengers should find out more from the local transport associations or via the DB Navigator shortly before starting their journey. In view of the high occupancy rate, it cannot be guaranteed that travelers will be able to take their bikes with them: “Anyone who can should therefore do without the bike.”
In Hamburg, the Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft announced that it was not possible to take bicycles with you until Whit Monday. In Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, Deutsche Bahn warned that boarding regional trains could not be guaranteed.
At Berlin Central Station, travelers spoke of “cramping full trains”. Passengers had to get off again. The federal police supported railway employees in partially clearing overcrowded trains to Rostock and Stralsund.
In Baden-Württemberg, too, the utilization of regional trains, especially to tourist destinations, was high. As the operator Go-Ahead Baden-Württemberg reported on Saturday, it was not possible to take passengers everywhere on its own route network. Deutsche Bahn had announced that it would also expand capacities in the southwest.
Pentecost is usually always busy on the railways. This year, the 9-euro ticket will be added, with which holders can travel throughout Germany on local public transport in June, July and August. The Pentecost weekend is considered the first test for the discount campaign.
Full trains, empty streets? No, says the ADAC
However, the 9-euro ticket on the Pentecost weekend did not relieve the burden on the streets: there were traffic jams on the motorways on Saturday. A spokesman for the ADAC said there was a lot going on, especially towards the north.
For a holiday weekend, however, the overall volume of traffic is to be expected. “It’s not going well, but we don’t have absolute chaos,” said the spokesman. The ADAC expects many returnees, especially for Monday. Traffic jams and slow traffic can then be expected, especially from the islands.
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