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Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

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Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#641

Post by garbagewoman »

renewiltord wrote: post #603
sajithdilshan wrote: post #223

Unfortunately nowadays traveling with DB has become a game of Russian roulette. If you get lucky the train arrives at the destination ahead of time and if you're unlucky most probably a delay of 4+ hours and missing your connecting train. The main reason for this is lack of competition for DB in Germany. I used to date a guy who works at infra department in DB and based on what he told me, I couldn't believe how inef…

That’s pretty strange about this competition thing. I’ve been repeatedly informed that the government is much better at running things like this.

What do you find strange about it?

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#642

Post by Aloha »

forinti wrote: post #436
BloondAndDoom wrote: post #131

I feel like we lost humanity somewhere in modern world. I grew up in 3rd world country and if this were to happen, train would literally stop somewhere, anywhere. (With the assumption it’s safe from crewing into another train). But the idea that you go 55 minutes just because of policy; and skip 15 stations is crazy to me. Again with the assumptions that it can safely stop somewhere for 5m and I’m pretty sure the ans…

The Germans follow the rules too strictly and in South America we ignore the rules too lightly. I wonder if there's a country somewhere with the right balance.

I think for all of our problems, the US does get this right - we know when to be formal and when to be informal, and its something that is well culturally ingrained - that is the spirit and intent of the rules should be considered as strongly as the actual words.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#644

Post by bratwurst3000 »

Zealotux wrote: post #221
BloondAndDoom wrote: post #131

I feel like we lost humanity somewhere in modern world. I grew up in 3rd world country and if this were to happen, train would literally stop somewhere, anywhere. (With the assumption it’s safe from crewing into another train). But the idea that you go 55 minutes just because of policy; and skip 15 stations is crazy to me. Again with the assumptions that it can safely stop somewhere for 5m and I’m pretty sure the ans…

I worked for a massive German company you heard of, this sounds more like the typical German philosophy of strictly following the process -- as absurd as it might be -- and refusing to take initiative for anything that is not explicitly defined as one's responsibility. As a French, the culture shock was brutal and I never really got around that work attitude. I went through a similar issue back when I used to take a…

Frenchman here and so true. I was taking the bus and it was stuck in traffic and I was like "hey can you let me out I life right in that street and shit aint moving" .... no fucking way. had to wait 10 minutes and then walk back to my place... driver was completly ghostinh me after he said the magic german words " I am not allowed to do this".

In france they Busdrivers let me out between stops if I ask them before.

Germany is crazy rule obsessed. they also have the crazy mentality that if you put it into rule problem is solved xD

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#645

Post by hopelite »

indiantinker wrote: post #17

DB is weird. They seem to make their own rules and then run the game and “dont tell the rules to anyone”. I was on my way to catch a flight from Munich to my home (Madrid). I didn’t knew that apparently at one point the train splits into two parts and the front part goes to the airport and the other part just goes to the nearby cattle farms and comes back in 3 hours. Google Maps - No idea Citymapper - what? English a…

To be fair (and I am not fan of DB and many other rail companies), DB is not the only rail system that splits trains, and it is rather clearly indicated, but you have to 1) expect something like trains that split at specific stops and 2) know what you are looking for on a ticket or billboard, partially because indicating that, especially far in advance is a bit of a UI/design challenge.

Also, I believe you were trying to write "nein". But why would you expect an English announcement in Germany on a German train? Google Maps? What does that have to do with that; it's an unofficial and only like an 80% solution.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#646

Post by ben_w »

ajb wrote: post #512
ben_w wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had something similar from Nuremberg to Suhl and accidentally ending up in Bad Kissingen for a bit. But I don't think DB is unique in this weirdness. Back in the UK, I think something similar happens on routes going past Gatwick; I've only heard English announcements on that train despite the airport being one of the ones serving London. Plus, one time I was on a work trip to Liverpool (via London), and somewhere aro…

What language would you pick first, if you're going to add non English to London trains? The problem with UK announcements is that they are piped to multiple places in the station, which is all hard surfaces and produces lots of reverberation and echo. This often makes them hard to understand even for natives. Also there are some stations with really terrible old speakers , such as horn speakers.

I'd ask the airports themselves for the nationalities of the tourists departing through them, and specify whichever secondary language was most relevant for trains likely to be used by tourists accessing those airports accordingly.

If I had to guess, French, German, or Spanish, in that order. But it may well be that e.g. Heathrow has a lot more Arabic, Stansted gets a lot more German, and Gatwick gets a lot more French, Luton gets the Spanish tourists, and City is mostly business trips or something.

You're correct about the acoustics, but foam panels are a thing that can be installed (or not) independently of this.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#647

Post by Aloha »

jltsiren wrote: post #604
zahlman wrote: post #421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> didn't support chip-and-PIN or contactless payments. As opposed to... swiping the card? Are there really cards out there that exclusively support that?

Chip and signature, which often means just the chip without further authentication. EMV has multiple options. Many countries (including the US) chose the signature option for credit cards for convenience and use PINs only with debit cards. Before contactless payment apps became common, that was a major source of friction when using American credit cards in Europe.

I'd argue we picked it for legacy reasons - Americans are not used to the chip/pin concept, and adopted EMV very late because of a variety of legacy reasons (massive installed base of mag stripe equipment, and systems to deal with the inherent slightly higher fraud).

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#648

Post by uwagar »

amtamt wrote: post #157

Way back in 90's, when I arrived on an Indian Railway station about 10 minutes before the train's scheduled time, I was pleasantly surprised to find the train at the platform. Only when I checked the passenger reservation list, I found this was train from yesterday, late by 23:50 hours. (for the curious... No, I could not get my reserved birth and had to travel on unreserved ticket, but at least I reached destination…

proof or it didnt happen. this is a meme joke. even osho made a joke exactly like this.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#649

Post by hopelite »

pjmlp wrote: post #215
bcye wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Splitting trains is a quite common thing in Germany (though more long distance) and communicated in the official app. If third party apps don't show that information that's on their part. Usually it's also said after departure inside the train by the conductor, though maybe just on long distance trains.

Yes, although quite often they forget not everyone speaks German. I once had a bit of Schadenfrunde while travelling in Netherlands, having the conductor telling us to switch trains in Dutch, and all my German fellow travellers wondering what it was all about.

[flagged]

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#650

Post by garbagewoman »

nephihaha wrote: post #488
tzs wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Netherlands is in the EU. English is the most widely spoken language in the EU, even after the UK left, because it is by far the most common second language. Nearly half of the people in the EU can speak it. In Northern Europe the percentage is even higher. In the Netherlands there are almost as many people who speak it as there are Dutch speakers. Taking into account people from other EU countries who are there…

This is imperial mentality. Dutch is the language of the Netherlands not English and they have the right to use it. If we follow your line Dutch will go the same way as Welsh or Basque.

And the dutch aren’t very well known for their imperial mentality?
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