DB: Can I still use the return journey if I miss the outbound train?

Question

I recently purchased a train ticket for a journey, and I noticed some conditions regarding the ticket's usage. It states that the ticket constitutes a continuous contract of carriage in each direction and that I can use all trains indicated on my ticket. However, it's unclear to me whether this means I can still use the return portion of my ticket if I happen to miss the outbound train.

Answer 1

DB does not really do "return" tickets. If you buy a "return" ticket from A to B and back to A what you really are doing is buying a ticket A to B, and another one B to A, in the same transaction. Both tickets are thus largely independent of each other.

Buying both outward and return in the same transaction does however add the advantage that you can get a refund for the return part if DB messes up the outbound part and you therefore decide to forego travel. But it does not add conditions to the second ticket.

Furthermore DB does not have the means to prove that you did not in fact make the outbound trip. So unlike airlines they do not even have the ability to cancel your second ticket if you do not use the first.

You are even free to board trains at a later station, or leave a train before the destination on your ticket. Train travel is not like air travel.

Answer 2

Yes, you are allowed to use the return part of your ticket even if you should miss the outbound train.

This is common practice (no conductor would ever check your outbound travel when being on the return train), but also stated clearly in the "Allgemeine Beförderungsbedingungen" (General Conditions of Carriage).

1.3.4: "Beinhaltet eine Fahrkarte eine Hin- und Rückfahrt, so bilden diese Hin- und Rückfahrt jeweils einen separaten Beförderungsvertrag." (If a ticket includes a return journey, these outward and return journeys each form a separate transport contract.)

Furthermore, the general conditions state that "Bei Fahrkarten für Hin- und Rückfahrt wird nach Antritt der Rückfahrt die Fahrkarte für die Hinfahrt ungültig." (The ticket for the outward journey becomes invalid after the start of the return journey) which confirms that it is legal to start the return trip without having used the outbound part of the ticket, the only consequence is that you are not allowed to use the outbound part thereafter.

This of course is only relevant for (expensive) tickets where you are free to choose the train; cheaper tickets have "Zugbindung": only valid on the booked train. Then the outward train by definition is before the return train.

Source: https://www.bahn.de/agb