Deutsche Bahn’s once-admired service has descended into chaos. Whether decades of poor investment or the company’s unusual structure is to blame, it’s a huge headache for a coalition trying to meet climate goals
The sleek high-speed train is 10 minutes behind schedule when it slides into Cologne’s main station before continuing its journey north to Dortmund. The delay is now such a common occurrence that the train manager does not even both to mention it to disembarking passengers.
In late afternoon on an unremarkable weekday in this western German city, holidaymakers are hauling suitcases through the station, workers are commuting home, and the late arrival of Deutsche Bahn’s IC 118 from Innsbruck is no surprise.
It does cause annoyance, though: a glance at the departures and arrivals board prompts one middle-aged man carrying a backpack to swear loudly as he enters the station.
Indeed there are worse countries. I think of Cuba for example, where it’s more about „the train arrives this day.“
However, in German culture the notion of timeliness and efficiency is very strong. Our expectations to our railroad is high as it was quite on time the last decades. And it perfectly fits into our recent feeling of become mediocre as a country. There‘re so many challenges that where Germany falls behind other countries and isn’t in the top 10 anymore.
Part of the real causes of this trouble is that the railroad was privatized 30 years ago. Together with Deutsche Post (now DHL) and Deutsche Telekom. All those three went international. Two with success. Deutsche Bahn expanded into road freight quite heavily as there was opportunity to grow and money to make. They took the money granted for the rails and invested it into trucks. The German government is now in discussions to unbundle the company and split it into small „tasks“ so they focus on their main business. The Bahn deserved to be cut down into pieces. Not well managed.
That’s the exact opposite of what the article claims
Yes and No. It’s a stupid privatization they did.
They privatized the railroad, but never sold some stocks. Now, it’s a private company owned by the state and subsidized by tax payers.