Inside Germany: Highs and lows of train travel and a successful Euro 2024

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Frequent disruption part of German rail travel - but people want to take the train

Long-distance train travel in Germany can be a joy. Zooming through the countryside while sipping a beer or coffee on ICE trains is a fantastic way to get around the sprawling Bundesrepublik. 

But increasingly, in recent years, travellers have had to reckon with more disruption.

After the German media reported figures suggesting only around half of long-distance Deutsche Bahn trains were on time in June, we launched a survey to ask: is it really all that bad? We wanted to hear your feedback on rail travel and the improvements you'd like to see.

In the first or our articles on this, we shared readers' experiences. It became clear that many people are having to deal with frequent delays and are often left to figure out ways to get to their destination. 

Sofia, who lives in Frankfurt, told us how she had been expecting a journey of four hours while travelling with her partner and young child. However, her train was suddenly terminated and they had to find another connection. 

"We jumped on another train and demanded that we stayed in the first class carriage since we were travelling with a toddler and had made already two seat reservations for two trains that got cancelled, and the conductor treated us like scum," she said.

Orestis in Munich, said: "Trains are generally unreliable which makes planning travels with them harder. I've frequently had to wait 1-2 hours and strikes last year meant I had to postpone my vacation by a day." 

Meanwhile, David, who lives abroad and visits Germany regularly said taking German trains was "one of the worst and most stressful experiences in life".

"Constant cancellations and delays," he said. "Trains stopped in the middle of nowhere with barely any alternative to continue traveling. Pure hell." 

Despite all the stress that travelling by train in Germany can cause, people still have positive things to say. 

"When it's good it's great. It's our preferred way to travel," said Sofia, adding that they enjoy the family areas when they are available. 

These responses echo those of The Local team. Overall people love taking the train, but the disruption is clearly getting worse. 

As people are trying to be more climate-conscious and avoiding air travel when possible, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn - and the government - have a responsibility to improve the service.

The infrastructure upgrades, although expected to cause issues in the short-term, will hopefully ease the bigger problem. But train travel needs to be a far higher priority for the government in the coming years. We'd love to see the myth of German efficiency become a reality! 

Nutella's article dilemma

Learning the article for each word is one of the joys of the German language. But some words even Germans can't agree on the article. Would you use der, die or das for the hazelnut spread Nutella? 

Apparently there's an ongoing secret war in Germany over whether it's Der, Die or Das Nutella.

I learned this when I used the "wrong" one and two colleagues began arguing.

I still don't know which is right, but I do know 8am is too early to be shouting about correct articles. pic.twitter.com/bXonOKjGqP

— Nic Houghton (@40PercentGerman) July 9, 2024

READ ALSO: Ask a German - do you ever forget the gender of words?

Germany will look back fondly at Euro 2024 

We're about to witness the final of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. Spain and England will thrash it out on the pitch in Berlin's iconic Olympiastadion on Sunday (by the way, here's how you can watch that match).

At the moment, there's no way of predicting who'll win. But one thing we can all (hopefully) agree on is that Germany has created an amazing atmosphere for the games. We do still have the final to go but so far, it's been a blast, even with the heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Of course it's not all been smooth sailing, Problems mainly concerning transport and a few rowdy fans have popped up from time to time. 

But from the fan zones to the local pubs and restaurants showing the games, to the stadiums themselves, Germany has achieved its goal of re-creating a month-long party that has gripped Europe in the same way it did for the 2006 World Cup.

And it's not just about the good times - cities are beginning to report how much money the event has brought in.

On Friday, Munich said the event pumped an estimated €150 million cash injection into the local economy. Visitors flocked to the games as well as pubs, restaurants and hotels. 

More than 650,000 people alone visited the fan zone in the Olympic Park. The best day was July 5th, with 53,000 guests watching the big screen for the quarter-final match between Germany and Spain.

Germany may have crashed out, but this tournament will give supporters and locals alike memories that will last a lifetime (especially the Scots). 

Munich mayor Dieter Reiter said: "It may not have been the summer fairytale that many had hoped for, but the way the German team performed had an incredibly positive effect far beyond football. And as far as the tournament as a whole is concerned, I am pleased to say that Euro 2024, with the six matches in Munich, went extremely well."

PODCAST: Germany's budget, Taylor Swift-mania and the priciest German cities 

We have come to the end of the latest season of our Germany in Focus podcast! In the last episode we get into the coalition's budget plans and how they could affect you and break down everything you need to know about Taylor Swift's Germany dates. We also talk about what can get you evicted as a tenant in Germany, why Berlin has been ranked the most expensive city in a survey and how to do summer like a local. 

We hope you enjoy it! We'll be back with a new series in September.