In the local network standard tickets that can be bought through ticket machines or in person at the train stations are valid, especially for single trips or trips within a limited time period: for a day, week, month, or year. Tickets for single trips, including a 10-ticket pack (good for 10 single rides), must be validated before boarding. Ticket checks occur randomly. Riding without a valid ticket results in a monetary fine. Larger cities have subways. Those stations can usually be accessed only through stairs (escalators) or elevators. Larger cities also possess streetcars, often with similar networks as the U-Bahns. S-Bahns travel towards certain destinations within certain regions. The DB Network connects towns in local areas and more distant areas. Different trains are used for each, and those trains are abbreviated in the schedules as follows:

RB-Regionalbahn (slow train),

RE-Regionalexpress (fast, does not stop at every station),

IRE-Interregio (fast, stops only at certain stations, connects towns with the Region, no surcharge),

IC-Intercity (fast, connects major cities, has numerous stops, as a rule has a surcharge),

ICE-Intercity-Express (very fast, connects major cities, very few stops, has a surcharge),

EC-Eurocity (similar to the ICE, crosses national boundaries, has a surcharge) – some Eurocitys carry special train names.

There are also some private railway providers.

Good to know

X Accounts of the German Railway (Deutsche Bahn), German Railway app, German Railway homepage, DB Passenger rights (in German):