Deutsche Bahn to increase ticket prices from December

Citing "economic difficulties", Deutsche Bahn announced a spate of price rises that will apply from December 15th, when a new train timetable will come into force. 

The price for Flex tickets, which offer flexible travel times, will rise by an average of 5.9 percent, the company said.

Equally, commuters who book time-specific tickets will also see their fares go up by an average of 5.9 percent. 

In the case of railcards, the BahnCard 100, which offers unlimited train travel through Germany for a year, will see an average price hike of 6.6 percent. 

However, prices for the BahnCard 25 and 50 - which offer 25 and 50 percent off train travel respectively - will remain unchanged.

READ ALSO: How Deutsche Bahn plans to make German trains more reliable

Despite these adjustments, DB has confirmed that the popular Sparpreis and Supersparpreis Tickets will stay at their current rates of €17.99 and €21.99 respectively. 

According to the rail operator, around eight out of ten customers take advantage of these cut-price tickets, which usually have to be booked well in advance of travel. 

Since only a limited number of the Sparpreis tickets are put on sale, however, customers who miss out will have to purchase the more expensive Flex tickets. 

The news comes just a few weeks after German transport ministers announced that the price of the popular Deutschlandticket would be going up by €9 a month from the start of next year.

The travel pass currently offers unlimited travel on local and regional transport in Germany for €49 per month - a significant discount on most monthly passes.

READ ALSO: What we know so far about the Deutschlandticket's price hike

Transport ministers claim that higher operational costs have prompted the upcoming price rise, which will see the cost of the ticket increase to €58 per month.