Overview
- The service is bookable from 12 August 2026 and the first escorted journeys run from 21 August 2026 on three high‑demand ICE routes.
- DB Junior Express operates Fridays and Sundays on Berlin–Munich, Munich–Cologne and Frankfurt–Mainz–Hamburg routes and limits each trip to 14 children.
- Parents pay a 69-euro fee that covers supervision and seat reservations while also buying a separate 2nd-class child ticket for the journey.
- Children meet staff at a central boarding point, are accompanied and engaged by pedagogically trained carers during the whole trip, and are handed over only to pre‑named pickup persons at arrival.
- The offer is explicitly a pilot limited to select trains for now and could be expanded later; the Bahn stresses that legal guardians retain formal care responsibility and onboard staff have no extra custody duties.