Bundespolizei Issues Easter Travel Advisory for Rail Passengers

With Germany’s Easter school holidays beginning this week, the Federal Police (BPOL) in North-Rhine Westphalia have warned of crowded platforms, packed trains and a surge in pick-pocketing incidents. At a press briefing on 30 March, officials said they will deploy additional uniformed and plain-clothes officers at Düsseldorf, Cologne and Dortmund stations from Maundy Thursday through Easter Monday. Passenger numbers are expected to be 20 % above the 2025 holiday period, fuelled by the popular €49 Deutschland-Ticket and pent-up leisure demand. BPOL advised travellers to keep valuables close, avoid placing phones in outer coat pockets and use luggage locks on overhead racks. Businesses should relay the guidance to foreign assignees unfamiliar with Germany’s rail network etiquette. The advisory is part of a broader “Safe Easter Travel” campaign that also involves Deutsche Bahn customer stewards and station retailers. Multi-lingual posters in German, English and Arabic highlight common distraction techniques used by organised theft gangs. Last year, BPOL recorded 5 300 pick-pocket offences nationwide during Easter week, causing €2.4 million in losses. Although no strike action is foreseen after March’s pilot industrial dispute at Deutsche Bahn, passengers should still check the rail operator’s app for late-running services because security checks may lead to brief platform changes. Corporate travel managers are encouraged to enable push alerts and ensure emergency contact details are up to date for staff on the move.