Check-in on board the ICE
Article: Digital occupied indicator now available for Intercity-Express passengers
11/2024 – The new occupied indicator lets passengers show that their seat is occupied throughout their entire journey. When they select their seat on-board using Komfort Check-in, the seat reservation remains visible on the reservation display until they reach their destination. To make this possible, DB Fernverkehr, Traveller Information (Deutsche Bahn AG) and DB Systel have revised the reservation system in a number of ways.
You can mark your seat as occupied – even while you are visiting the on-board bistro – thanks to the new real-time occupied indicator. The occupied indicator can be seen as an addition to the traditional seat reservation system and uses the same displays: "In the old system, seat reservations expire 15 minutes after the train leaves the departure station. But when passengers use the Komfort Check-in function, the new occupied indicator is displayed until they reach their destination," explains Tobias Jung, product manager for digital passenger information at DB Fernverkehr. "Previously, the reservation display would have indicated that the seat was free, even if it was already occupied by a passenger." The new function is the product of a cross-organisational collaboration between DB Fernverkehr, Traveller Information (Deutsche Bahn AG) and DB Systel.
Komfort Check-in provides peace of mind for passengers
Technically and functionally, the occupied indicator is part of the Komfort Check-in service. "The advantage of using Komfort Check-in is that you can skip the ticket inspection on the train and secure your seat using the occupied indicator, even without a previous reservation," explains Tobias Jung.
Once you have checked in via Komfort Check-in, the seat reservation display now updates automatically: "The display then shows that the seat is occupied until Frankfurt, for example, and you can get up, go to the on-board bistro and eat something, while the display signals to other people that the seat is occupied," explains Lukas Röhr from DB Systel's passenger information cooperation group. If you want to change seats, you can check into a different seat once and the occupied indicator will be transferred to the new seat.
Reinventing data transmission for the ICE and other trains
The teams involved had to make numerous adjustments to the various systems so that the new indicator would respond to the check-in almost in real time. "Even before the occupied indicator, the passenger information system we use in long-distance transport also showed seat reservations," explains Anselmo Stelzer from Traveller Information (Deutsche Bahn AG). However, this method was not suitable for responding to check-ins in real time: "Until now, long-distance trains have called up reservation data at fixed times."
The occupied indicator, on the other hand, requires a continuous supply of up-to-date reservation data and must be able to display the Komfort Check-in as quickly as possible. The project therefore started with the sales systems that travellers use to buy their tickets and finished with the reservation displays on trains. "We have replaced the entire data link," as Anselmo Stelzer puts it.
DB's own passenger information system for trains
Behind the technical scenes, the new function is part of a larger system: "It is a feature in the 'RIS Fahrzeug' product – a multi-functional on-board passenger information system," explains Anselmo Stelzer. This information system is used in many types of vehicle and can therefore adapt flexibly to different requirements such as different screens and on-board systems. Depending on the situation, it displays the next stops or connections on the screens, for example, ensures the correct train signage on the external displays and controls the loudspeaker announcements. Special functions such as map displays or service information can also be shown.
Around sixty percent of passenger kilometres in long-distance transport are currently travelled on vehicles equipped with RIS-Fahrzeug, and all new and modernised vehicles in long-distance transport use this system. It is also used in the new S-Bahn Berlin vehicles and in other transport contracts at DB Regio. Wherever "RIS-Fahrzeug" is used, the occupied indicator now also works. "On ICE L and ICE 3neo trains, a status light is displayed in addition to the text so that passengers can see from a distance whether a seat is occupied or not," adds Anselmo Stelzer.
Agile project control replaces rigid plans
"The project was a learning process," recalls Tobias Jung. For example, there were multiple studies with test subjects to get feedback from the target audience. Instead of strictly adhering to a project roadmap, the teams involved took a new direction when needed, for example, when it became clear that existing software components would not support the requirements of the new feature and would need to be replaced or when an alternative approach had to be found.
In addition to the work in the test laboratory, real-life test runs were particularly helpful in allowing those responsible to test the different displays, on-board systems of the vehicle types and their peculiarities in practice. "In order to offer the occupied indicator on different vehicle generations to as many passengers as possible, we have optimised the vehicle software for as many classes as possible. The occupied indicator not only works on modernised ICE 3 trains that have been running for some time, but also on the state-of-the-art, brand-new ICE 3neo," says Lukas Röhr from DB Systel.
The occupied indicator has been in use since July 2024. But the collaboration is by no means over. DB Fernverkehr, DB Systel and Traveller Information (Deutsche Bahn AG) are continuously working on many other projects to further improve comfort on long-distance trains.
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