Since the summer semester in 2009 all students who are enrolled at a Thuringian university or college – except for a few track sections – are allowed to use the regional railway network. All you need to do is showing your student ticket.

The student ticket Thuringia Plus can be bought optionally once in a lifetime after finishing studies and costs twice as much as the regular student ticket. With this ticket you can use the railway network for further six months ather leaving university.

What track sections are included?

The student ticket is valid for all regional railways until the last stop in Thuringia except for the following track sections:

• Eisenach – Gerstungen
• Schwarzatalbahn
• Gera – Greiz
• Norhausen Nord – Elsfelder Talmühle

The student ticket is not valid for busses and tram links.

Can I bring my bicycle?

Yes, you are allowed to bring your bicycle in the whole territory. All you need is to show your student ticket. Of course you have to consider the regular terms of transportation of "Deutsche Bahn", that means, that you can bring your bicycle if there is enough space for bicycles in the carriage.

Do I have to pay for the student ticket although I don't make use of it?

Yes. The sheaper price is only possible, if all students pay for the student ticket no matter if they make use of it very often, seldom or never. For several students the student ticket is indespensable for commuting between their residence and the place of study.

But also students who never make use of the student ticket for that reason can use it if they want to visit a christmas market. In this case they can have some drinks and come back to the place of study without paying for the railway.

Because of the steadily rising the petrol prices there will always be an opportunity to make use of the railway instead of the own car. And then the student ticket is fortunately already paid. And to be honest - your awareness and conscience for environmental concerns will thank for this action. ;)

What can be used as a ticket?

If you want to use the student ticket you need to carry your valid student identity card (Thoska+). Take care that the identity card wasn't changed. Especially the old identity cards consisting of paper shouldn't be cut or laminated.

A certificate of matriculation doesn't replace your student identity card.

Reimbursement?

If sending in an application form the following types of students can get refunded the price for the railroad ticket:

• disabled students, who have entitlement of transportation by the law for disabled persons written down in the ninth Book of the German Social Social Security Code (SGB IX) and who can prove it
• students who are taking a semester off
• students who are at least 21 weeks out of Thuringia, especially if they are writing their thesis at home or in a company, are abroad or have a pracitical semester

According to the membership fee regulations of the student union applications like that need to be handed in by the student union by no later than than one day before the beginning of the semester.

Please use the correlating reimbursement form for your university location and tick the field "other" with regard to the reason for reimbursement.

Why does the railway student ticket exist?

The pioneer in Thuringia was the greatest university location Jena. "Does the railroad ticket come? Anyhow there will be a strike vote" was written in October 1998 on the cover of the Akrützel, Jena's university magazin. In those days the students fought for the introduction if the railroad ticket in the local traffic on several location-related track sections. About 60% of the voters voted for this ticket.

In Weimar and Erfurt the students voted in a plenary meeting fot eh offering of the Deutsche Bahn. These results blazed the way: since the summer semester in 1999 students from Jena, Weimar and Erfurt could make use of the railway by paying 24 DM and showing their student identity card.

All of the three tickets include the track section Erfurt-Jena as well as different track sections in the periphery of those cities.

In the year 2001 the students of the TU Ilmenau agreed to a student ticket that enabled them to use the track sections to Erfurt, Meiningen and Saalfeld.

How long will the ticket exist?

The contract has a duration of two years or four semesters. So there will probably be a rehashing in the summer term 2012. Then there are a lot of new students at the university who want to vode for or against the ticket.