3 ms·
The punctuality of the trains has been more of a joke for quite a bit, I don't think it's a big part of German identity. The part that is really terrible are t
by fabian2k 1y ago
The punctuality of the trains has been more of a joke for quite a bit, I don't think it's a big part of German identity.
The part that is really terrible are the long-distance trains. Not that the regional trains are always punctual, their reliability varies a lot per route. But they're not as bad as the long-distance trains.
One big recent improvement is the Germany ticket, for 58 EUR per month you can take any regional train or bus.
- firefax 1y agoI got the impression they have a different cultural definition of "late" -- they'd get as mad about a 15 minute delay as folks in the states would get about an hour plus delay.
- MrJohz 1y agoMaybe twenty years ago, but these days it's pretty common to have hour-long delays, or to have trains be cancelled at short notice, or rearranged such that you won't get a connection. When traveling East/West, I'd pretty much always recommend planning a buffer of at least an hour, more if your journey involves connections.
- patrickmcnamara 1y ago6 minutes is late for DB. But trains are often much later (or cancelled).
- firefax 1y ago>6 minutes is late for DB This is what I was getting at... they equated a ten minute delay in the same category as an hour plus... it was atomic, binary -- that's what I meant to get at in my post, that the level of "umph" was the same. It's my understanding the delays that prompted the OP are longer, 30+ is a big deal even in the states.
- flobosg 1y ago> But they're not as bad as the long-distance trains. In my recent experience the most punctual trains I’ve taken have been long-distance ones, namely IC (as opposed to ICE). Not sure why, though.
- theshrike79 1y agoIt's a meme, even Duolingo's German lessons bring up "the train is late" phrases pretty early :)