Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 9-euro ticket in MV: Ministry draws monthly balance

Schwerin (dpa/mv) - According to projections by the transport companies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, around 150,000 9-euro tickets have been sold so far.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 9-euro ticket in MV: Ministry draws monthly balance

Schwerin (dpa/mv) - According to projections by the transport companies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, around 150,000 9-euro tickets have been sold so far. "The transport companies have prepared as far as possible for the expected rush and provided additional staff in order to be able to better steer the flow of travelers," said Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD) of the German Press Agency on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the first endurance test for the public transport infrastructure in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania took place on the Pentecost weekend. In particular, on the route between Hamburg and Rostock and the route between Lübeck and Bad Kleinen, there were numerous overcrowdings: passengers had to stand on the platform because there was no more space for them on the train.

In addition, many tourists use local transport, especially on weekends, to travel to the Baltic Sea with the 9-euro ticket. "It was foreseeable that the demand for short-term and day-trippers to the German coasts would increase significantly," said Meyer. His ministry expects that the load will increase again at the beginning of the summer holidays on July 4th.

In order to do justice to this, Meyer believes that more money is needed, which should come from the federal government. The current transport offer must be guaranteed and expanded in the long term. "This requires an additional structural and permanent increase in regionalization funds from 2022," said the minister.