Wow, was I ever wrong.
I had told the EYM that the one thing he could count on was that the trains would run on time. At least, the ICE trains would run on time.
Well, thanks for playing, Mungowitz, but....no. The EYM got into Frankfurt about on time, went through the very simple German customs and immigration process for American visitors, went to the Fernbahnhoff station, bought his ticket....AND THE ICE TRAIN left 15 minutes late.
Since the connections are so tight (on the theory, now proved rather absurd, that the trains run on time), he missed his connection through Wurzberg, and had to reroute through a second stop, in Nurnberg.
As he waited for THAT train, he noticed a sign, something on the order of, "Dieser Zug nicht Treiben" Oh, really? Well, he was hoping that it would be Treiben him right up to Erlangen, like it was scheduled to do. He asked around, and of course there had been an announcement in German that the train was not going to be Treiben anywhere soon. So, yes, they did do what they were required to do, over the loudspeaker.
But I am less concerned about the proper announcement of sucking than I am making some attempt to STOP sucking. When I talk to colleagues about the trains, I do get the impression that I was overly impressed before. The trains emphatically do NOT run on time, for the regions. ICE is better, but only marginally. "Better than Amtrak" is a pretty low standard. And "more expensive than airline tickets" (which German trains are, for the same city pairs!) is also not a selling point.
Why have a police state, if the trains don't run on time? Yikes.
5 comments:
I lived in Germany for awhile last year (right outside of Erlangen, actually!). Never take a train anywhere. Get a rental car, or, for something lengthier like Nurnberg to Berlin, hop a flight. They're pretty cheap, relatively speaking.
BTW, http://www.skyscanner.net is great for comparing flights between European airports.
Come ride the trains in Japan!
I was there (Bamberg...not far from Erlangen)for 3 years and used to travel all the time by train. This was in the 90's and I admit that I have not experienced Deutsche Bundesbahn since '97. But when I was there, the train was fabulously reliable (contrasted with, say British Rail - I have never traveled on Am Trak so can't make that comparison). I wonder what could have happened to deteriorate the quality and reliability for that mode of travel in the last 12 years?
Germany is not a police state - stupid comment of yours.
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