Euro fans in Germany inconvenienced by train delays

Nearly one in two trains arrived late in June in Germany. A malfunction that coincides with the organization of the Euro football championship in the country and the influx of millions of visitors.

A catastrophic June for the railways in Germany. Barely more than one in two “main line” trains arrived on time: 52.5%, according to the newspaper’s figures. Image. Of course, this is not the best advertisement for Germany, which is currently hosting the Euro football championship and 12 million visitors. Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, once praised for its efficiency and punctuality, is the target of much criticism.

That day, the Berlin-Munich match is 22 minutes late. But Felix, who is wearing the German national team’s football jersey, is no longer surprised: “Almost every second train is late. 20 minutes, half an hour, an hour… It’s well-known here, we joke about it. We can’t change anything and we just deal with it. That’s just the way it is!”

While the Germans have gotten used to it, the foreign fans who came for the Euro are discovering a reality they were far from imagining. Jerry, from Aberdeen in Scotland, experienced it: “Last week I went from Berlin to Cologne and was 55 minutes late. On the way back I was another 45 minutes late… To be honest I’m very surprised, because in Scotland German trains have a reputation for always being on time.”

In response to criticism from fans who sometimes arrive late at the stadiums, Deutsche Bahn points to bad weather and the influx of passengers. Spokesperson Anja Bröker also discusses the state of the network: “We understand the fans’ dissatisfaction very well. In Germany, the railway infrastructure is ageing and unreliable. This is no secret. In recent years, Germany has unfortunately spent much more on roads and this Euro shows how important it is to invest in rail.”

The renovation work on the railway network is planned until 2030. In the long term, Deutsche Bahn promises more than 80% of trains to run on time.