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WIf you travel by train, there is no greater risk of becoming infected with the corona virus. This conclusion is suggested by a study that Deutsche Bahn is currently working on in collaboration with the Berlin Charité. The railway announced on Wednesday in Berlin that a first series of tests among long-distance train employees had shown that they did not have an increased risk of contracting Covid-19. The aim of the study, which will last for several months, is to obtain scientifically sound knowledge about the infection process on trains.
In the first series of tests in late June / early July, scientists examined whether train attendants with a particularly high number of customer contacts get sick more often than employees with fewer customer contacts, such as machinists or workshop workers. Bahn’s Chief of Staff Martin Seiler reported that of the nearly 1,100 people tested, only one employee tested positive. In the 1,064 evaluable blood tests for antibodies, suggesting a survived infection, the train attendants even had the lowest value at 1.3 percent. It was 2.5 percent for train conductors and 3 percent for workshop employees.
Seiler emphasized that the first round of tests showed that employees on board were not exposed to an increased risk of corona. “The first results of the study show that our concept of protection and hygiene is working.” Charité’s study will continue in October and February. Together with the German Aerospace Center, Deutsche Bahn is also investigating the distribution of aerosols in vehicles.
What about air conditioners?
In the railways it is said that these finds cannot be transferred directly to the risk to passengers, since they stayed longer in one place on the train. On the other hand, most employees are on the train much longer than customers. “I can say with complete conviction that train travel is safe,” said Berthold Huber, a member of the Passenger Transportation Board. “We still have to be careful, but there is no need to worry about train travel.”
In addition to additional cleaning and disinfection, the mask requirement is an essential factor in reducing the risk of infection. Huber emphasized that, contrary to popular belief, the railway failed to detect any signs of fatigue on the part of passengers when wearing the mask. Discipline is even increasing. Air conditioning is not a problem either, but part of the solution, Huber said. “This throws aerosols on the ground. In addition, the air in the car is completely replaced every seven minutes through the air conditioning. “
Deutsche Bahn recognizes the growing number of advance bookings, at least in Germany, which is increasing customer confidence in the time of Corona. Huber placed cargo on long-distance trains at an average of 40 percent of seat capacity, a year ago it was 60 percent. Trains are only crowded when there are “unforeseen events,” such as a train cancellation, Huber said. On the other hand, “no reservation obligation in the world” could help. Sometimes such a reservation requirement is required to protect customers from being too close on trains. Huber refuted the argument that the reserve obligation actually deprives rail of capacity rather than increases it. From a rail perspective, the utilization indicator in the DB Navigator application has proven its worth in informing customers.
