3 ms·

The one overnight train I took in Germany was one of the most unpleasant nights of my life. The bed was so small and uncomfortable, and the temperature so errat

The one overnight train I took in Germany was one of the most unpleasant nights of my life. The bed was so small and uncomfortable, and the temperature so erratic, I spent much the night in a bathroom reading a book. I'd only ever try it again in a premium cabin, assuming the cost isn't exorbitant.

netsharc 6y ago
German Rail cancelled their night train service a few years ago, and then Austrian Rail took over and offered a proper service. As the article covers, the Germans were neglecting this service, which in turn probably lead to their poorer service and poorer uptake, and they presumably thought "well, it seems nobody likes taking night trains any more, so let's cancel them".
- elric 6y ago
  > "well, it seems nobody likes taking night trains any more, so let's cancel them" It's a bit more insidious than that. I suspect they were deliberately cancelled so they wouldn't compete with high speed rail. HS rail is much more expensive, and can't compete with night trains. So night trains had to go in order to make room for for HS rail. Of course, now that all forms travel are much more accessible and affordable, night trains and HS rail might coexist -- if we get rid of cheap air travel.
  - morsch 6y ago
    They also thought it was pointless to even try to compete with air travel. Hartmut Mehdorn, the CEO of DB AG (German rail) from 2009-2019 was an airline executive before and after he wrecked/lead German rail. Rüdiger Grube, who succeeded him, was a former aerospace and car executive. Many (all?) of the chairmen of the board through those years were also aerospace executives, e.g. Christoph Franz was at Lufthansa before his stint at DB AG and the Lufthansa CEO a couple of years after it. Karl-Friedrich Rausch was at Lufthansa for 15 years before becoming a leading executive at DB AG.

3 ms·

The one overnight train I took in Germany was one of the most unpleasant nights of my life. The bed was so small and uncomfortable, and the temperature so errat

by standardUser 6y ago

netsharc 6y ago
German Rail cancelled their night train service a few years ago, and then Austrian Rail took over and offered a proper service. As the article covers, the Germans were neglecting this service, which in turn probably lead to their poorer service and poorer uptake, and they presumably thought "well, it seems nobody likes taking night trains any more, so let's cancel them".
- elric 6y ago
  > "well, it seems nobody likes taking night trains any more, so let's cancel them" It's a bit more insidious than that. I suspect they were deliberately cancelled so they wouldn't compete with high speed rail. HS rail is much more expensive, and can't compete with night trains. So night trains had to go in order to make room for for HS rail. Of course, now that all forms travel are much more accessible and affordable, night trains and HS rail might coexist -- if we get rid of cheap air travel.
  - morsch 6y ago
    They also thought it was pointless to even try to compete with air travel. Hartmut Mehdorn, the CEO of DB AG (German rail) from 2009-2019 was an airline executive before and after he wrecked/lead German rail. Rüdiger Grube, who succeeded him, was a former aerospace and car executive. Many (all?) of the chairmen of the board through those years were also aerospace executives, e.g. Christoph Franz was at Lufthansa before his stint at DB AG and the Lufthansa CEO a couple of years after it. Karl-Friedrich Rausch was at Lufthansa for 15 years before becoming a leading executive at DB AG.