Things are now happening at Deutsche Bahn that you would not have thought possible for a long time recently with disarming honesty over the onboard mic of an ICE.
The train attendant immediately explained the mishap with comparable openness: "We were diverted and not informed about it." The realization that an ICE also goes off track is unusual, but possibly even a sign of flexibility.
Unfamiliar, if not completely new, is the brittle honesty with which the employees disclose the shortcomings of Deutsche Bahn: “We are now being evacuated.
When do we arrive exactly where
Corinna Budras
Business correspondent in Berlin.
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Of course, this is only anecdotal evidence, but the frequency with which train passengers are informed and sometimes even entertained by such announcements is increasing significantly.
Where previously “disruptions in operations”, “delays from previous journeys” or “weather-related impairments” ruled, the cheerful confession is now breaking through: “The engine driver has not yet arrived because of another delayed train.
We're blocking the track for his train right now.
We ourselves are curious to see how this will be resolved.”
Experienced railroaders have several explanations for this.
The first is obvious: the worse the performance, the more multifaceted the apologies.
If you're not late, you don't need an excuse, and certainly not an entertaining one.
Unless the success rate is so bad that even a scheduled arrival is amusing.
The railway can also score points more and more frequently with this.
There are many reasons for the bad performance
Delays of one hour or more usually have several causes.
Where a lot is happening, there's a lot to report.
And the performance of Deutsche Bahn is currently extremely poor: just 61 percent of long-distance trains reached their destination on time in November, and these unspeakable statistics do not even include the train cancellations, which seem to be increasing at the moment.
The reasons for the misery are widely known: the route network is dilapidated and urgently needs a general overhaul.
Even the railway management now openly admits that too little has been invested in the past few decades.
In addition to the many - planned - construction sites, other disruptive factors keep coming up: Sometimes concrete sleepers all over the country have to be checked and replaced at short notice, then a freight train loaded with propane gas blocks an important section of the route for weeks after an accident.
The new openness, seasoned with a pinch of gallows humor, can be summed up in the simple indignation headline: Bahn employees make fun of the chaos and taunt the passengers.
However, that does not take into account the second level of explanation for this trend - and that should worry the state-owned company almost more than the self-inflicted inability: the employees are fed up with their employer's antics.
They are ashamed of the poor performance, which ultimately affects them themselves: “Our train cannot continue today: there is another train in front of us that is broken.
We can't get past that."