A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior clarified last Friday in Berlin that the federal police "were not responsible for compliance with the state's health regulations." You can only intervene if there is a "conflict that poses a danger to rail traffic" in the dispute over wearing the mask.
Deutsche Bahn spokesman: "The train is not the police"
Deutsche Bahn, in turn, had declared a few days earlier that it was responsible for "punishing violations" by the responsible authorities. The railway itself "is not authorized as a company to sanction violations of state regulations". A railway spokesman further clarified to the "BR": "The railway is not the police."
Neither state nor federal police see themselves as responsible
The Federal Ministry of Transport confirmed this position on Friday: The railroad informed passengers "in detail" about the mask requirement and the "respective train attendants draw people's attention," said a ministry spokesman. However, the train attendants are not responsible for the "enforcement of the legal regulation". Since the mask requirement stems from an agreement between the federal states, the responsibility lies with the regional authorities. Accordingly, the state authorities or the respective subordinate state police would have to enforce the mask requirement and punish administrative offenses.
The problem: The Federal Police is always on duty on railways and trains. According to its website, it carries out "police tasks in the field of federal railways" and is responsible for "warding off threats to public security or order there". This is regulated in paragraph 3 of the Federal Police Act.
Passenger association with clear demands on politics
The passenger association ProBahn meanwhile calls for an end to the confusion about responsibility in this matter. ProBahn spokesman Andreas Barth told the "BR" that Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer should agree with his country colleagues who was really responsible. In addition, it makes sense to carry out police checks on the trains in order to reduce the number of people who refuse to wear a mask.
Breaches of the mask requirement: displeasure among rail customers is growing
While everyone is denying responsibility for who is now responsible for enforcing the mask requirement, displeasure is growing among rail customers.
A woman writes on Twitter that her father asked her if it was safe enough to travel 400 kilometers by train. "I had to say no because you don't have to wear a mask on the train."
Another user refers to Austria. Since the beginning of this week there have been penalties for passengers who refuse to wear a mask during the journey. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has included the obligation to wear a mask in its conditions of carriage and also enforces the obligation to wear a mask itself.
CDU politician Ruprecht Polenz meanwhile writes: "I am probably not the only one who is still avoiding the train because of this."
How do you feel about the masks debate around the train and what is your experience with train travel? Write to us at [email protected].