Inside Germany: Clock debates, controversial hedges and the sorrows of Deutsche Bahn

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might've missed. 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.

Will the next government tackle Germany's rail crisis?

"The greatest crisis in 30 years..." That was how Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz described the state of Germany's railways on Thursday. Lutz was presenting the company's latest set of dire figures to reporters, from the €1.8 billion of losses in 2024 to anaemic sales and total debts of €32 billion.

In news that's unlikely to surprise many rail passengers, Deutsche Bahn also hit a new low in punctuality last year, with just 62.5 percent of trains arriving on time. 

"We are far from meeting our customers' expectations," Lutz said, perfecting the art of understatement.

The endless sorrows of the national rail service are well known to anyone who lives in Germany. More recently, though, the reputation of Deutsche Bahn has even started to spill across borders. In a recent article, The Local France editor Emma Pearson shared her tips for staying sane while travelling on DB's "direct" Berlin to Paris service. In it, she cautioned readers to be stoic and expect the unexpected.

So, as Germany gears up to usher in a new government, will the next 'Grand Coalition' be able to finally get to grips with the railways? On first glance, the noises sound positive - but, much like a cross-country trip on DB Regio, it won't be an easy journey. 

According to the latest leaked plans, the CDU/CSU and SPD want to embark on a "fundamental rail  reform", clearing out old management and pouring in massive investments. As part of a €500 billion infrastructure fund, tens of billions would be used to spruce up the creaking railways and modernise the busiest routes. 

According to Lutz, at least €150 billion will be needed to get the job done. And, given how long some of these projects can take, several more years of delays may be on the cards. Luckily, though, the government is also promising to keep the Deutschlandticket, so you can still travel to your destination on a budget - provided you're not too concerned with getting there on time. 

Tweet of the week

Some of us may have made the mistake of deciding to do a spot of cleaning DIY on a Sunday, forgetting about Germany's sacred Ruhetag (quiet day) rules. 

If your German neighbours have anything to do with it, it's not a mistake you'll make twice. 

When it's Sunday, and it's Germany, and you want to watch the world burn. pic.twitter.com/rMmaxMUDCA

— Nic Houghton (@40PercentGerman) March 23, 2025

Where is this?

This atmospheric scene shows the MS Cospuden moored on Leipzig's Cospudener See on Thursday evening during a cosy book reading.

Parallel to the Leipzig Book Fair, which runs until Sunday, more than 3,000 events are taking place at 350 different locations throughout the city for the ‘Leipzig reads’ reading festival - including atop the city's lakes.

Clocks go forward... again

It's that time of year again. On March 30th, the clocks go forward and politicians go back to a years-long debate about when (if ever) the practice will be scrapped for good.

The European Union has been eyeing an end to Daylight Saving Time since 2018, when a public consultation revealed that millions were in favour. For the past seven years, however, the bloc has been stuck in limbo amid disagreements on how to go about it. 

This year Poland is in charge of the rotating EU presidency and wants to put the question of the clocks back on the agenda. Proponents of the change are pushing for a target date to end the changing of the clocks in order to speed up the process. 

If they're successful, it's possible the bloc could be gearing up to finally call time on the century-old practice. For now, though, we're still set to wake up one hour later on Sunday morning (or lose one hour of sleep, depending on how you think about it) - and gain an hour of sunlight in the evening.  

When is a hedge too high?

If you've lived in Germany for a while, you've probably realised that there are some very strict rules governing neighbourly behaviour. From grilling on your balcony to how often your guinea pigs have sex, every question imaginable can end up in the German courts. 

Most recently, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe was asked to rule on a highly philosophical question: when is a hedge a hedge, and how high can it be?

The question was prompted by a recent dispute in Frankfurt between two neighbours. The plaintiff had demanded that his neighbour cut back her six-metre bamboo hedge, while the neighbour refused to do so.

After much back and forth, the verdict was clear: there is no legal height limit for a hedge in Germany. That said, you do have to make sure it's far enough from your neighbour's property - and don't forget to trim it at the specified times of year.