Bahnchaos between Leipzig and Berlin: commuters are frustrated!

Bahnchaos between Leipzig and Berlin: commuters are frustrated!

When it comes to travel planning between Leipzig and Berlin, the Plateu seems to falter more and more in terms of comfort and reliability. A recently staged chaos at the train stations raises many questions that frustrate even environmentally conscious travelers. Martin, a commuter from Cologne, experienced the bitter end of such a travel adventure on July 13th.

Martin decided to connect Flixbus at 6:41 a.m., because it travels with a foldable wheel, which is considered a hand luggage. The cheap tariff of around 15 euros made the offer tempting, especially when you consider that later trains often cost twice the way, even with a BahnCard 50 from Deutsche Bahn. But the early bird didn't seem to catch the worm in this case.

unannounced delays

Although Martin reaches Leipzig Central Station at 6:35 a.m., he did not receive SMS about a troubling 90-minute delay of his train. At 7:43 a.m., Flixtrain put a reduction in the delay to 60 minutes into the world, but the train was already off. Frustration was the result - the environmentally friendly approach to travel flexibly, did not hold what he promised!

For his return trip, Martin chose the ÖBB night train at 10:34 p.m. from Berlin Südkreuz, which usually takes a pleasant hour and 8 minutes to Leipzig. Instead, he had to pay 38 euros for this connection, which was annoyingly more expensive than a car ride. However, the trip became even more uncomfortable when it was announced during the trip that the connection via Bitterfeld, which further extended the original travel time.

wait in the cold

On the evening of July 12th, Martin chose the ÖBB night train again, which was to lead again via Bitterfeld and Halle. Here is the next unpleasant surprise: the passengers had to change in Bitterfeld and wait 50 minutes in the cold before the trip could continue. The arrival in Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was only reached around 1:10 a.m., which Martin did not arrive at home until 1:30 a.m.

Not only the delays caused displeasure. Travelers also criticized the comfort of the ÖBB trains built by Stadler Rail. Low backrests and lack of privacy were at the top of the list of symptoms. For Martin, this experience was clear proof of the disappointment about the reliability and comfort of railways, which are increasingly perceived as inadequate.

rights of passengers

What can passengers do in such situations? In the case of train failures or delays of over 60 minutes, according to the information from ÖBB [ÖBB.AT] (https://www.oebb.at/de/reisplanung-services/nach-ihastrechte/zugausfall-oder-t- ort-berspaetung) Various options can be avoided and you can get the full fare with a different train or if you are missing a change into others Consider public transport. The legal framework is also recognized by other railway companies such as the Deutsche Bahn, which are explained in detail in the [Bahn.de] (https://www.bahn.de/service/informations-buchung/fahrgastrechte/ Lawliche-- regulations).

The agreement on the onward journey (AJC) between 16 European rail operators also enables the next available move to be made without additional costs if travelers miss their connection. That sounds good at first, but this is a goodwill regulation without a legal claim.

It remains to be hoped that the railway companies learn from such experiences and will respond more to the needs of their passengers in the future. While many appreciate the nature -friendliness of the train travel, the processes and comfort often stand against an outstanding experience. And that shouldn't be the case in a modern mobility culture.