As soon as rail boss Richard Lutz appears anywhere these days, one thing is asked of him above all: make amends.
For the fact that his company gets on the nerves of Germans like no other.
For not fulfilling its core task of getting people and goods from A to B safely, punctually and without stress.
Lutz likes to pick up the ball when he says the track's current performance is "unacceptable".
What does a manager have to do if his company's products are "unacceptable"?
Either get better soon or resign.
In the case of the railways, the former cannot be implemented and the latter does not make sense.
Even a successor could not do more than state: The railway system in Germany is in one of the greatest crises in its history.
It takes years to find its way out from there.
This decade will be characterized throughout by billions being invested in an ailing infrastructure - an infrastructure that mercilessly slows down the fastest trains.
A lot would be gained with more honesty
Railway and politics have at least already made this diagnosis.
"Keep it up" was yesterday, today applies: Building at a record level and immediate measures that help quickly.
"Everything that brings improvements for customers now has priority," says Lutz.
The passengers still don't notice anything, on the contrary.
To make matters worse, campaigns such as the 9-euro ticket steer more passengers into a system that cannot tolerate this abundance.
Currently, the rail infrastructure cannot keep up with the growth in traffic, even Lutz admits.
More traffic jams on the rails and delays are the result.
Nevertheless, those responsible are sticking to their growth plans.
By 2030, the number of long-distance customers is set to double and the rail freight share is set to increase from 19 percent to 25 percent.
All well and good for the climate - but unrealistic.
If the railways and politicians were honest and put their illusionary goals aside, a lot would be gained.
Not for the passengers, but at least for the credibility of the actors.