‘It’s the same daily misery’: Germany’s terrible trains are no joke for a nation built on efficiency

As an American who used DB for the first time, their shitty transit blows the best travel experiences here out of the water. I'd rather use German trains than fly first class in the US. Not even close TBH.

15 years ago I thought the Germans were the smartest people in the world because they understood the importance of investing in public services and had a central european style of capitalism that focused on fundamentals over financialization. since then they've slowly been adopting more neoliberal policies and making really stupid foreign policy decisions. I've lost a lot of respect for them as a world leader.

When you turn the logo of Deutsche Bahn upside down, you'll see their customer.

Infrastructure delivers more economic impact with less grifting when it's not designed and run to make a profit on its own.

I've got a joke about DB, but I'm not sure when it'll reach you

Germans. Come to Melbourne Australia, and as you get off at the airport realise there is no connecting train to the city. Cabs only.

Brought to you by the cab industry/lobby.

Thank the christian democrats and Angela Merkel. I'll have you know that people haven't learned and that christian democrats are leading the polls once again.

"A nation built on efficiency". These times are looong over. We had a good run with our Wirtschaftswunder in post-WWII times and that's about it.

The myth of Germany efficiency is slowly becoming unwound.

German efficiency is such an obnoxious myth

Come to Slovakia, where 30+ minute delays are the norm. Or to Greece, where railways are still operated by humans.

It's all good though because SNCF is an order of magnitude worse.

Lol! Come to hungary! Here the 30 min or even more delay is usual. While branchlines are closed due to the state railways dont have enough working diesels, as most of them are 40+ years old (or just soviet quality), and no money for new, as the EU stopped sending support, due to the corruption of the stateparty-government.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

“The situation has severely deteriorated in recent years,” said Detlef Neuss, chair of the passenger lobby group Pro Bahn, standing outside Cologne’s main station, in the shadow of the city’s gothic cathedral with its distinctive twin spires.

Earlier this month, after weeks of speculation over the future of Britain’s planned HS2 high-speed rail link from Birmingham to Manchester, the prime minister finally announced that the northern leg was to be scrapped.

In an excoriating special report published earlier this year, the public audit body did not mince its words as it sounded the alarm, warning that the company responsible for running the national rail network, its stations and signals, along with many long-distance and local trains, risked becoming a “bottomless pit” for taxpayer money.

Despite paying some €4,400 for an annual season ticket, in recent months Winter has had to put up with a weeks-long closure of the track between Wolfsburg and Berlin for upgrades, coupled with delays, cancelled trains and lack of staff.

The company, formed from the existing West and East German railways, was freed from previous debts with the idea that it would be able, in time, to become profitable, with the goal of boosting Germany’s GDP and floating on the stock market.

The governing agreement struck by the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals in late 2021 committed them to doubling the capacity of passenger services by 2030, while setting a target for 25% of freight to be carried by rail by that date, and electrifying more railway lines amid attempts to meet climate goals.

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Perhaps the Germans could start investing in coal powered trains?

Auferstanden aus ruinen more like zurück nach ruinen