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Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

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Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#851

Post by geysersam »

busterarm wrote: post #473
geysersam wrote: post #466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is just silly. The German train system has problems. Does that mean total civilizational collapse? No, it doesn't.

Collapse is the other end of the spectrum. This is an institution whose practices/policies only serve itself instead of its customers/purpose. It's progress, taken to its extreme. From a certain point of view it's effectively the same as collapse.

What does that even mean? We're talking about an organization that serves billions of riders per year. Their passenger numbers increased 20-30% since 2020 so even if their delays are bad clearly it's not bad enough that most people seek alternatives.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#852

Post by db48x »

gmueckl wrote: post #831
db48x wrote: post #621

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol, most Amtrak platforms are at track level! I think the cars are 8” above track level, not waist high. Every car has a metal step that will be placed in front of the door by the attendant. Edit: Oh, except for a few lines on the East Coast where the trains are only single–level. Those are 48” above the top of track.

Looks like we both had incomplete information. I didn't know that some trains have their doors really close to the ground and it's actually very inconsistent. I'm getting a clearer picture now.

It is at least consistent within any one Amtrak route. The ones that go through the north east have to go through tunnels that can only accommodate single–level cars, while all the other routes have the double–level cars where the doors are really close to the ground.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#853

Post by renewiltord »

garbagewoman wrote: post #641
renewiltord wrote: post #603

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I believe general wisdom in the US is that trains are best when run by the government at zero cost. This is presumably the best way to get transit. So the idea that competition would improve things is odd.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#854

Post by db48x »

iso1631 wrote: post #725
taneq wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not if you live near the tracks! Obviously that’s a bit of a safety issue, though, not to mention taking a few minutes time from (potentially) hundreds of people to gain a few tens of minutes for yourself.

> bit of a safety issue OK, so you disgorge however many people, at what age, with or without babies in ipushchairs or people in wheelchairs, onto the tracks, and they avoid the passing 100mph trains, they then walk along in the dark and rain for a few miles looking for a gap in the fence? Sure, just a "bit" of an issue.

No, you let them off at the nearest station or level crossing. Here in America that would generally be within a block of where the train was supposed to stop anyway. There are a few stations with “underground” tracks that would have to let you off a little further away, but every station has some safe place to do so. It’ll be a place the crew knows about ahead of time as well.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#855

Post by symbogra »

101008 wrote: post #10

I know the author mentioned this, but I just got nervous imagining this as a tourist who doesn't speak German at all. This shouldn't be like this. Why they don't help at all? It's also funny considering how here in South America we look at Germany trains (and Switzerland trains) as always on time, and the best train system, etc. But I am sure if this happens here it would be on the cover of newspapers.

Swiss trains are very civilized. On an ordinary intercity train can sit at a table with a white tablecloth and have a beer or wine and a proper dinner. It really makes the time fly by. The SBB also has merch store with their own line of watches.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#857

Post by bradley13 »

Reminds me of my time in Scotland. I commuted by train, and they published stats that showed my route as 95% on time "excepting conditions outside our control". In the year I was there, the train arrived on-time exactly once. Apparently very little was under their control.

They did occasionally announce the reasons for delays. Two that I remember: "Leaves on the track" in Autumn, what a surprise. "The wrong kind of snow" um...it's Winter, it snowed, it was nothing special?

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#858

Post by bradley13 »

flexagoon wrote: post #18
101008 wrote: post #10

I know the author mentioned this, but I just got nervous imagining this as a tourist who doesn't speak German at all. This shouldn't be like this. Why they don't help at all? It's also funny considering how here in South America we look at Germany trains (and Switzerland trains) as always on time, and the best train system, etc. But I am sure if this happens here it would be on the cover of newspapers.

I recently moved to the Netherlands to study, and I experience that a lot. Despite almost all official information everywhere being written in both Dutch and English, in-train announcements are only done in Dutch. I have to constantly listen to the announcements and try to understand based off their vibe if they sound like something critical or not.

In Switzerland, the major train lines announce in English (as well as German and French). Minor train lines often only announce in the local language.

Honestly, I don't see the problem. As a tourist, you have to be prepared with apps, or you can ask someone for help. Happens all the time, and most people are happy to help.

Someone living here needs to learn the local language.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#859

Post by ahf8Aithaex7Nai »

DB is a joke and a disgrace to Germany. I have actively avoided traveling by train for many years. The company is customer-unfriendly from start to finish. I find the confusing ticket prices particularly bad: Sparpreise, Super-Sparpreise, Frühbucher-Tarife, Flexpreis, Sparpreis Gruppe, BahnCard, Gutscheine, ...

If you don't want to pay extra, you have to book six months in advance and be familiar with the fare system. It's super frustrating. It's just a train ride. I don't want to have to plan and organize it like buying a new car at the best price or trading stocks. And in the end, you can't even count on arriving on schedule. If you're unlucky, you'll be stuck at the train station in some godforsaken village.

I prefer to travel by car. The travel costs can be easily calculated based on the price of gas and fuel consumption. The total maintenance costs for a car are transparent. You are much more flexible and autonomous when planning your trip. The probability of arriving more or less on schedule is almost 1. And if you do get stuck in traffic, at least you have a little private, quiet, warm, and dry space around you.

If it were reliable, inexpensive, and uncomplicated, I would still find it more sensible to travel by train. But that is far from being the case. Instead, DB manages to combine the disadvantages of administrative bureaucracy and market economy.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#860

Post by RadiozRadioz »

bradley13 wrote: post #857

Reminds me of my time in Scotland. I commuted by train, and they published stats that showed my route as 95% on time "excepting conditions outside our control". In the year I was there, the train arrived on-time exactly once. Apparently very little was under their control. They did occasionally announce the reasons for delays. Two that I remember: "Leaves on the track" in Autumn, what a surprise. "The wrong kind of s…

The leaves are actually a big deal because they get crushed into a slippery film that stops the wheels making good friction with the rails. Occasionally you will see specialised debris-removal vehicles moving along the tracks and spraying them
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