German Rail in decline ?

[duesselmartin]

Huge delays on DB monday and tuesday. Poor information too.

to quote Remarque: "all quiet on the western front" then.

multiple signal and points failures in the Ruhr, flood damage in Bavaria. The European Cup will be interesting.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Huge delays on DB monday and tuesday. Poor information too.

I was in Switzerland this week (Interlaken), where there are three daily DB ICE services to/from Germany.
While I did see one ICE service, on two days at least one SBB substitute IC showed up instead.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Meanwhile in the neighbouring Netherlands... I've been hit by three cancellations on two journeys (Hoek to Germany and back). Two NS services via Eindhoven and one Arriva from Aachen.
My trips in Germany were also fairly generally delayed, both ICE and local services, including a Frankfurt S-Bahn having to be rebooted to continue. Nothing over an hour, and I'd built in contingencies thanks to reports here and elsewhere, so no disasters.

 

[DanielB]

Meanwhile in the neighbouring Netherlands... I've been hit by three cancellations on two journeys (Hoek to Germany and back). Two NS services via Eindhoven and one Arriva from Aachen.

Those Arriva services towards Aachen can be a real nightmare. Combine an already limited number of staff allowed to work trains to Germany with the overall staff shortages at the regional operators and you get multiple cancellations a day. (Especially drivers gather experience at regional operators early in their carreer and then apply at NS which has higher salaries).
The cancellations around Eindhoven were services to Rotterdam I presume: those are frequently affected by the teething problems with ICNG and as the border crossing at Emmerich is currently closed a lot of cargo is diverted via Eindhoven, easily disrupting traffic on the already heavily used lines around Eindhoven.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The cancellations around Eindhoven were services to Rotterdam I presume...

Yes. I caught an ICNG one way and had a push-pull loco set the other between Rotterdam and Eindhoven. And yes, lots of freight seen en route.

 

[miami]

I was in Switzerland this week (Interlaken), where there are three daily DB ICE services to/from Germany.
While I did see one ICE service, on two days at least one SBB substitute IC showed up instead.

I'm taking the Belrin to Interlaken train on Monday. I don't hold much hope on getting past Basel. The specific train I'm getting was the subject of a Times article last year -- https://archive.is/FNSz7

Switzerland’s refusal to let tardy German trains continue on to its own track is intended as a “wake-up call”, with further restrictions planned......
....

By the time I boarded four or so hours later in Frankfurt, the names of all seven stops beyond Basel were crossed out in red on the screen in the carriage.
“The Swiss won’t let it go any further,” said a young ticket inspector. “They like to do that to us, but I can understand their point of view. We can’t just turn up late and join their network.”
....
The Swiss have recently begun halting trains that are running particularly late at the city’s second station, Basel Bad, on the north side of the Rhine, obliging passengers to complete the last couple of miles into the heart of the city aboard a rail replacement bus.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Despite what the Times says, there's no need to use a replacement bus between Badischer and SBB stations in Basel if DB's ICE gives up the ghost.
There's 2tph local S-bahn trains, plus direct trams and buses every 5-10 minutes.

 

[Beebman]

James Olley, Senior Football Writer at ESPN, has posted on X a short video of scenes last night at Gelsenkirchen Hbf after the Serbia - England game:

https://x.com/JamesOlley/status/1802488344703603107

He posted: "This really isn’t great. Gelsenkirchen main station packed with fans still trying to get away but trains either not turning up or delayed. Game finished almost 3 hours ago."

 

[duesselmartin]

Gelsenkirchen usually does have a good service towards Düsseldorf, Essen and Dortmund. I wonder if fans on the line caused some issues.

In general rail traffic in the Ruhr region are running at its limits on a normal day. The system failing on such an occasion does not really surprise. There is also only one additional train per hour planned in. Punctuallity on all service have been rather poor often due to overcrowding.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I see the new ICE 3neos are now in service on the Frankfurt International services to Amsterdam and Brussels which one can only hope improves punctuality on that particular route.

 

[DanielB]

Punctuality is not exactly excellent for Frankfurt - Amsterdam yet, but at least I don't see any cancelled trains due to broken rolling stock since the introduction of the ICE3neo.
Only unfortunate event was the very first ICE3neo from Amsterdam to Basel being struck by a fallen tree just across the Dutch - German border.

 

[ABB125]

I see the new ICE 3neos are now in service on the Frankfurt International services to Amsterdam and Brussels which one can only hope improves punctuality on that particular route.

Have all services swapped over, or only a few?

 

[Goldfish62]

Have all services swapped over, or only a few?

According to Man at Seat 61 the whole lot.

 

[Bungle965]

James Olley, Senior Football Writer at ESPN, has posted on X a short video of scenes last night at Gelsenkirchen Hbf after the Serbia - England game:

https://x.com/JamesOlley/status/1802488344703603107

He posted: "This really isn’t great. Gelsenkirchen main station packed with fans still trying to get away but trains either not turning up or delayed. Game finished almost 3 hours ago."

I was at the game, it was pretty obvious that there would be trouble even within the City itself. The public transport simply could not cope with the amount of people attempting to use it.
I left the game 2 minutes before it ended as I knew that I had to make the TRI additional that was running to Köln as it was the last connection onwards to my hotel.

Tram I caught was crush loaded into Hbf, pretty shocking communication once there as one person with a tannoy was announcing that the train would arrive in one section which was completely untrue and resulted in a swarm of people running down the platform.
I counted 20 people just at my door that couldn’t board, was at the Fan Park the following day and some of the other stories that I heard were pretty damming also!


Still, nothing like preparing fans for is to come when we host it!

 

[duesselmartin]

I was at the game, it was pretty obvious that there would be trouble even within the City itself. The public transport simply could not cope with the amount of people attempting to use it.
I left the game 2 minutes before it ended as I knew that I had to make the TRI additional that was running to Köln as it was the last connection onwards to my hotel.

Tram I caught was crush loaded into Hbf, pretty shocking communication once there as one person with a tannoy was announcing that the train would arrive in one section which was completely untrue and resulted in a swarm of people running down the platform.
I counted 20 people just at my door that couldn’t board, was at the Fan Park the following day and some of the other stories that I heard were pretty damming also!


Still, nothing like preparing fans for is to come when we host it!

I think you will find that services run 24 hours if you know the system. Most people waited for a Düsseldorf/Köln service not knowing you could go to Essen and change there.

 

[Bungle965]

I think you will find that services run 24 hours if you know the system. Most people waited for a Düsseldorf/Köln service not knowing you could go to Essen and change there.

Indeed the key point there is if you know the system.That’s highly unlikely for a lot of the fans.
One of the choking point was at the tram stop itself where people were released for each trams and pushed to get onto the first available service, the Essen tram that I saw was a single unit and had it’s capacity reached and still had 30/40 passengers that couldn’t board and had to take the next service (When that would be wasn’t communicated)
Again no information from any of the staff on the ground, apart from charging up and down the platforms frantically.

One of my friends got lucky and managed to get one of the shuttle buses towards Essen, but the consensus there was that there simply wasn’t enough of them.

Fans were channeled towards Hbf where as mentioned above it was pretty chaotic. England fans get a lot of stick (sometimes rightly so! But they were pretty patient considering, the only flare up I saw was a Serb having a boot off at the police which ended well for him…)

 

[duesselmartin]

Looks like the whole system just collapsed in Düsseldorf. A defective ICE, at another location overhead wires down. Nothing coming in and out.

 

[185]

Just seen a video of 300 gentlemen from Scotland in some random Hbf singing...

"Are ye Scotrail
Are ye Scotrail
Are ye Scotrail in disguise"

Oh deary. Deutschland Uber alles!
*use the app to book it, 5% off at times

 

[VioletEclipse]

Just seen a video of 300 gentlemen from Scotland in some random Hbf singing...

"Are ye Scotrail
Are ye Scotrail
Are ye Scotrail in disguise"

Oh deary. Deutschland Uber alles!
*use the app to book it, 5% off at times

love it!

 

[duesselmartin]

Just seen a video of 300 gentlemen from Scotland in some random Hbf singing...

"Are ye Scotrail
Are ye Scotrail
Are ye Scotrail in disguise"

Oh deary. Deutschland Uber alles!
*use the app to book it, 5% off at times

No link? I prefer Scotrail to be honest

 

[Krokodil]

Looks like the whole system just collapsed in Düsseldorf. A defective ICE, at another location overhead wires down. Nothing coming in and out.

Sounds like the state Crewe was in yesterday

 

[scarby]

Pretty much everything I have come to expect from railways in the 21st century.

While everyone else is pulling out all the stops to make a huge event run smoothly, rail does nothing and then shrugs its shoulders when it all goes pear shaped.

Compare with the 1970s when I travelled from Scarborough to Wembley for the FA Trophy final. There were at least four, and I think possibly even five or six, football specials that smoothly took thousands of fans directly to Wembley and back.

 

[dm1]

I think that is a bit harsh.

DB are offering 10,000 extra seats and 14 extra football specials per day for the duration of the Euros, along with special low-cost 29.90 EUR tickets as add-ons for those who have match tickets to encourage them to use public transport to get there.

There are many things to criticise DB for, but given how congested their network is already following decades of under-investment, I'd say that is a pretty good showing all things considered. Disruption is frustrating, but it happens. I don't think it's really fair to say rail isn't trying in Germany.

 

[duesselmartin]

I think DB would be a lot better if it had a communication strategy. Locals know how to get around a disruptions but how many tourists consider to take a train to Neuss to get to Düsseldorf, or to travel from Gelsenkirchen to Bochum to reach Essen? If that was communicated.

As to the failed power line in Düsseldorf. The local repair train was damaged by fire the week before, yet DB InfraGO did not place another set at that strategic location despite knowing a failure in a host city will have dire consequences.

The world championship in 2006 was smoother transportwise.

Best wishes from Düsseldorf.

 

[The exile]

I think DB would be a lot better if it had a communication strategy. Locals know how to get around a disruptions but how many tourists consider to take a train to Neuss to get to Düsseldorf, or to travel from Gelsenkirchen to Bochum to reach Essen?

This has always been a DB weakness that we used to do much better. I’m not sure we do any more…

 

[rg177]

It's frustrating as DB does get a lot right (such as your Sparpreis/Supersparpreis ticket becoming a de-facto Anytime ticket after a 25 min delay) but unless you're constantly checking the DB app or thinking on your feet, it's easy to end up feeling rather lost when something goes wrong.

Likely fine for us who know a bit of geography and don't mind a bit of a diversion (as @duesselmartin says) but for tourists likely apprehensive about using a train in the first place, not great.

 

[Jamesrob637]

My Flixtrain from Berlin to Köln was over an hour late into CGN on Wednesday. Trespassers on the line at Leverkusen. Delay repay incoming.

 

[Struner]

My Flixtrain from Berlin to Köln was over an hour late into CGN on Wednesday. Trespassers on the line at Leverkusen. Delay repay incoming.

Not sure if this sort of problem specific to Germany?

 

[ratters]

I have just returned from a week based in Essen watching 6 Euro 2024 matches in the area. Have taken 2/3 trains a day. The trains have been a disaster, literally every one delayed. It is a main topic of conversation between fans. I finished with a 55 min delay from Frankfurt to Brussels. Many people missed matches yesterday trying to get to Düsseldorf.

Only trains on time were one of the Eurostar legs and both Avanti legs!

 

[Ringo2112]

I am on a Eurail Global pass as I come to Europe every summer. Wow, I've really noticed DB service is bad this time around. I dont think German Rail has still got totally beyond the Covid situation. (just my personal opinion) They mave have had employees retire or just quit or some didnt come back and they have staff shortages .I'm in Bremen and I noticed they canceled ICE trains to Hamburg tonight because of weather? It's Friday night and beautiful here and I dont even see any rain in Germany on radar. Also I went to Hamburg today and I've seen " incoming delay for crew" ( which I see a lot) listed on my ICE train back to Bremen. Then they said there was no cafe service until Koln because of staff shortage.( my train was 30 minutes late as I left from Hamburg Harburg...im seeing many issues for trains being late "power issues with overhead lines"" weather", crew issues",and " medical emergency on train" listed on the website when i look at schedules.( which I know a medical issue could be serious.) Put it this way, i see a lot of red ( issues)on their schedules now. Also I came to Bremen last Friday Rudesheim-Koblenz-Bremen....long story short train was delayed over 3 hours ( ran out of beer and food too). Am I entitled to a partial refund on a Eurail Pass or a voucher? I had the conductor stamp my pass to show the delay time, thanks