German Train Fans Win World Cup Bonus

In Berlin, all the talk is about one thing: football (soccer, if you wish). And Friday's performance by the German Nationalmannschaft (national team), coming back to beat the Argentinians after over 30 nail-biting minutes down 1, has Germans everywhere celebrating. But what is the TreeHugger connection, you ask? One more reason for fans of all stripes to celebrate: those TreeHuggers who gambled on the Weltmeister-Bahncard (world champion train card) are winners too. The card, which was available for purchase until the opening game of the World Cup, cost 19 euros and guaranteed a 25% reduction on train fares between 1 April and 31 July. But here is the catch: with every round the German team advances, the card's validity extends for one month.

The weltmeister card was a good buy for many who could win back most of their investment with a single trip, as opposed to the usual 25% card which is valid one year but requires more frequent travel to pay itself off. But an advance out of the first round was necessary to make the card a good deal relative to the traditional Bahncard for those of us who have the opportunity to continue to benefit on future travel. Now, with the Germans entering the semi-finals, 400,000 people will enjoy discounts on public transportation across Germany until the end of October. Everyone on the train to Dortmund! Don't miss the solar installation at the stadium when you're there!

Photos via ::Deutsche Bahn