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Demand indicator: how full is my train?

The current demand indicator in the connection information shows you how busy your train is expected to be. This tool helps you to decide in advance whether you want to reserve a seat or travel on another service.

Zwei junge Reisende haben Spaß im ICE
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  • In the travel information

    The symbols beside a connection during booking show how high demand is expected to be for a specific train. These symbols are in the "Demand" column and are explained again in "Show details".

  • Journeys with transfer

    The demand indicator refers to the fullest section of the selected service. If you are changing trains, the details show the level of demand for each train.

What do the symbols mean?

Low demand expected

Many of the seats on this train will be unoccupied.

Medium demand expected

At least half of the seats on this train will probably be occupied. However, there will still be some empty seats. Reserve your preferred place now.

High demand expected

Some seats on this train will be unoccupied. We recommend reserving a seat.

Exceptionally high demand expected

The train will be very full on certain sections of its route. Many passengers will be forced to stand. For this reason, you can no longer buy tickets or reserve seats. Unless you have already bought a ticket for this train, we recommend using a different connection.

Frequently asked questions about the demand indicator

The demand indicator always refers to the class requested in the connection information. Second class is the default setting.

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  • Demand levels are visible only for DB's long-distance trains (ICE, IC, EC). Our system cannot show demand levels on other operators' trains, in particular local and regional trains.
  • Our system is also unable to display information for certain other trains, in particular services operating outside of Germany.
  • The demand indicator is normally shown 28 days before the day of departure. The demand indicator is not shown for connections that are more than 28 days in the future or if no data is available.

If this is the case for all connections, then the "Demand" column is not visible on your screen.

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The demand indicator is based on forecasts. As a result, the actual conditions on a given train can be different to the forecast.

Additionally, the information refers to the entire train (for each travel class). Capacity utilisation can sometimes differ significantly from coach to coach, however. For example, there are usually far more seats available at the ends of the train than in the middle.

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Your ticket remains restriction to a specific train. This means that you cannot catch another train with it.

We recommend booking early. This way, you will probably be able to select the seat you want. Demand can change, and if lots of people want to take a specific train, you might not be able to reserve a seat after a certain point. We therefore recommend booking as soon as possible.

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