Overcrowded trains are almost as common as delays when travelling by train. Because a passenger spontaneously made a seat reservation, some passengers had to get off the last train.
As a user of the online portal Reddit reports, he and his family experienced an unpleasant surprise on a Sunday afternoon trip on a Deutsche Bahn ICE train. The drama began with a train delay, whereupon the father in question decided to change to an earlier train that was also delayed.
The passengers who were already on the train were informed shortly afterwards via an announcement that only the rear half of the train would continue from Berlin. At that moment, the family was already sitting in the front section. “I desperately check whether you can reserve seats,” said the Reddit user.
He and his family then managed to make their way to the newly reserved seats. When they arrived at the seats secured for money in the Deutsche Bahn app, they “chased away” those who were “happily sitting there,” the father of the family continued in his text.
But the chaos never ended. The train was overcrowded. Many passengers apparently had to get off to allow the train to continue its journey. This included those who had previously left their reserved seats. What was particularly annoying, the man says, was that the next train to the destination did not arrive for two hours.
“It feels kind of stupid to have bought the ‘right to stay’ on the train almost after the fact (i.e. after people had intervened) with the spontaneous reservation,” continued the man, who is demanding the opinion of the online community. However, the community supported him in his decision. He did not make the rules, the other passengers had the same chance of getting the seats.
When it comes to train travel and reserved seats, there are always disputes and disagreements. Some time ago, another traveler got into an argument with a disabled woman because she was taking a seat illegally. In the end, he gave in.
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