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Bet on German Train Delays

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Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#181

Post by TazeTSchnitzel »

ozgune wrote: post #104
maxeda wrote: post #80

> In January 2026, Germany's federal court ruled that purchasing a Deutsche Bahn ticket constitutes a form of gambling (Glücksspiel), citing that “the probability of arriving on time is statistically comparable to a coin flip.” > Rather than contest the ruling, DBSM embraced it. If riding our trains is gambling, then passengers deserve the right to hedge. > BahnBet is our answer: a platform where you can bet against…

I'll save everyone a web search. This is satire and there isn't any such German federal court ruling. It also speaks to the world that we live in these days - I'm having a hard time separating satire from reality.

Someone wrote a satirical article in 2017 around the same concept: https://www.der-postillon.com/2017/12/bgh-bahn-gluecksspiel....

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#182

Post by hermanzegerman »

consp wrote: post #142
DocTomoe wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In all fairness, being both an avid Deutsche Bahn victim (with the Gold victim status), and knowing the German court system ... that was perfectly plausible, if a bit optimistic. I'd do many, many things if I got a 50% chance of arriving on time.

Gold status? Does that mean you only have to fill in two pages of forms instead of three for refunds?

If you actually took a train in the last 3 years you would know that the process is know online via the App/Website, and everything is already filled out for you

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#183

Post by hermanzegerman »

CaptainZapp wrote: post #71
fnordian_slip wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredible that about 80% of people in this thread seem to be commenting without having looked at the website. In defense of Deutsche Bahn, countries with comparable infrastructure but more reliable transport have put in about twice as much money per capita for the last 30 years at least. Also, it went through a pseudo-privatisation back then, which hasn't helped (just private enough to focus on quarterly profit…

> In defense of Deutsche Bahn, countries with comparable infrastructure but more reliable transport have put in about twice as much money per capita for the last 30 years at least. Why is that "in defense?" When you let your infrastructure rot away since the 90s of the last century for something as complex as a train network by brutally underinvesting. Then you seriously fucked up. There's nothing to defend here.

Because stupid people that vote blame the company and not the politicians that underinvest for years

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#184

Post by hermanzegerman »

zelphirkalt wrote: post #129
fnordian_slip wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredible that about 80% of people in this thread seem to be commenting without having looked at the website. In defense of Deutsche Bahn, countries with comparable infrastructure but more reliable transport have put in about twice as much money per capita for the last 30 years at least. Also, it went through a pseudo-privatisation back then, which hasn't helped (just private enough to focus on quarterly profit…

> I have to admit I'm rather biased as I work there, but I would say most employees do the best they can with the hand they're dealt. I think most people don't blame the normal employees. The blame is on the management layers, the "Wasserkopf", that gives themselves boni, even if things are done poorly and are going badly. A disconnect from the reality on the tracks. I don't see improvements. I rather see worse and w…

[flagged]

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#185

Post by [deleted] »

hermanzegerman wrote: post #184
zelphirkalt wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have to admit I'm rather biased as I work there, but I would say most employees do the best they can with the hand they're dealt. I think most people don't blame the normal employees. The blame is on the management layers, the "Wasserkopf", that gives themselves boni, even if things are done poorly and are going badly. A disconnect from the reality on the tracks. I don't see improvements. I rather see worse and w…

[flagged]

[deleted]

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#186

Post by zelphirkalt »

hermanzegerman wrote: post #184
zelphirkalt wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have to admit I'm rather biased as I work there, but I would say most employees do the best they can with the hand they're dealt. I think most people don't blame the normal employees. The blame is on the management layers, the "Wasserkopf", that gives themselves boni, even if things are done poorly and are going badly. A disconnect from the reality on the tracks. I don't see improvements. I rather see worse and w…

[flagged]

I find your comment disrespectful and bordering breaking HN rules.

Please stop taking parts of sentences out of context when quoting, and please refrain from trying to dismiss other people's personal experiences as less valid than your subjective experience.

> What other countries are these supposed to be? I've travelled extensively around Europe, and there is hardly a country where you get the same level of comfort for the price.

Well, there you have it. You only consider European countries. That is quite a limited perspective. In China I can pay around 12 EUR and take a reliable high speed train, that takes me further than Germany is in size. The interior of those trains looks a bit older than ICEs in Germany, but actually offer more space for each individual passenger and allow for a more comfortable ride. The trains actually go fast (200-300km/h), not like in Germany, where it can happen, that you take an ICE train and for part of the way crawl at 30km/h. I am aware, that the comparison is not a 1 to 1 comparison, but ultimately the high speed train system there just works. Whether that is due to massive government investment or cheaper workforce, I don't debate. The result is good, reliable and cheap train service, that pays off in being way more climate-friendly, than the bad train service in Germany, that pushes people to take the car instead.

But another example of how prices in Germany are insane is actually another city in Europe: Madrid. The metro system there even rivals or surpasses modern Chinese cities, because it is even simpler to use. You pay for "1 ride", only a little more than 1 EUR (I paid 11.60EUR for 10 rides), and that ride lasts until you exit the station somewhere. You can change as many times as you want, stay in the metro for hours riding back and forth, if you so desire. The moment you leave a station, you will need to scan your card and only then 1 ride is deducted from your card. It is so simple, it is a dream. Meanwhile in Germany, you pay 3-4x the price for a 1h ticket or so-and-so many stops ticket. Ridiculous.

Germany did a good thing: The Germany ticket. But slowly the cost for that is creeping up. From originally 49 EUR, it is now at over 60 EUR. If this goes on, it will soon no longer be a viable choice for people, who don't take the train every day, but maybe 2-3 times a week.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#188

Post by hermanzegerman »

zelphirkalt wrote: post #186
hermanzegerman wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I find your comment disrespectful and bordering breaking HN rules. Please stop taking parts of sentences out of context when quoting, and please refrain from trying to dismiss other people's personal experiences as less valid than your subjective experience. > What other countries are these supposed to be? I've travelled extensively around Europe, and there is hardly a country where you get the same level of comfort…

You've made some unfounded rumors and claims, calling it your "personal" experience whilst calling the fact that there was more investment and maintenance of infrastructure done "subjective".

Was your claim that the better funding doesn't get invested but is disappearing "somewhere" also a "personal experience" ?

Your comment now is way more balanced and objective than the stuff you wrote previously, and I would probably agree with you

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#189

Post by lava_pidgeon »

flrlfmkhmem wrote: post #145
moooo99 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Telecom in Germany Telekom is a profitable enterprise. Yet, telecom infrastructure in Germany is on a remarkably bad level and relatively expensive. Cell coverage is also still bad, especially when travelling via rail or car. With the exception if the Japanese Rail, all the other examples are different in one crucial detail: they are not natural monopolies.

I don’t think you’re aware of how bad the national railway has been managed in japan, they even went broke in the 80s with trillions in debt and had to split up sell off all their infrastructure and vehicles. That’s the reason why there’s often many non-interconnected competing stations at the same site today.

Compared to the state owned Deutsch bahn or pre competition trenitalia Japanese railways are quiet good.

(There is plenty of examples for good or bad private or state owned railways. It's just not black and white)

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#190

Post by lava_pidgeon »

DocTomoe wrote: post #122
lava_pidgeon wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SpaceX or rockets Generally, Telecom in Germany, flights in Europe, train transport in Japan and Italy.

I would not call telecommunications privatization in Germany a success story. Yes, we can use more devices now. Prices have stayed more or less the same (or have risen, corrected by inflation. Service quality has collapsed, though.

Prices collapsed, too. Sorry, this is just bad nostalgia. It was really bad if you reqd the details.
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