Deutsche Bahn and sheep: A German summer travel adventure

A summer trip the North Sea island of Föhr is a brilliant idea, I thought. I can switch off my news feeds and forget all about wars, about Donald Trump, far-right populism and the desolate state of German infrastructure. Once I make it to Föhr, I can just sit on the beach all day, gaze out at the sea and relax.

I booked a nice hotel and decided to take the morning train directly from Berlin to Dagebüll, the small town on the coast from which ferries depart for the island. This would be a relaxed and environmentally friendly start to the trip with my girlfriend to the Wadden Sea. Or so we thought.

We should have known better. Of course, we have heard, for example, that Switzerland — where 98% to 99% of all trains run exactly on time — has stopped allowing trains from Germany to cross the border because they are notoriously unpunctual. Only 62% are on schedule. Now, passengers coming from Germany have to change onto Swiss trains in Basel, so as not to disrupt the traffic flow in our neighbor to the south.

German train travelers know to expect delaysImage: Gregor Fischer/dpa/picture alliance

However, on our trip up north, everything was fine. At first.

Our train left Berlin on time, and we got as far as Niebüll. In this small town in North Frisia, the train is separated into two parts: The first travels on to Sylt, the party island for the wealthy. The other goes on directly to Dagebüll with its ferry pier. Theoretically.

Just before we got to Niebüll there was an announcement: "Today, the entire train is going to Sylt. Anyone who wants to go to Föhr must get off in Niebüll and take the regional train to Dagebüll."

That's OK, we thought, it won't upend our plans. Admittedly, getting our suitcases off the fast train and onto the hopelessly overcrowded regional train was not exactly how we had imagined the start of our vacation.

There was no information on the reasons for this change in schedule, but we were unfazed. We have become accustomed to coping with the unexpected changes in itineraries and timetables of Deutsche Bahn. There are plenty of stories about trains that have broken down, turned back or been delayed for hours, for which no one seems to be responsible.

Föhr, with its sandy beach, is a popular holiday destinationImage: picture alliance

Finally on Föhr

When we eventually arrived on Föhr, everything was just what we had hoped for. We gazed at the sea.

Even the fact that most pubs, bars and restaurants only accept cash payments and no credit cards was a problem only for a few international tourists. But we all know that Germany just needs a little more time to catch up with the world on technological developments. We remember former German Chancellor Angela Merkel telling us in 2013 that the internet was "Neuland" ("uncharted territory"). That's just how it is in one of the world's leading industrial nations.

The railways fit right into this picture. For decades, very little was invested in the approximately 33,500 kilometers (20,800 miles) of track. Bridges, switches and signal boxes are now dilapidated or antiquated.

After a few wonderful days on Föhr, we embarked on our return journey, well rested. Again, we were scheduled to take the "direct train" from Dagebüll to Berlin.

There was a train waiting for us at the platform. However, deja vu: it was not the fast train we expected, but the slow train to Niebüll. Locals told us it had been like this for a long time, because of staff shortages. The direct train to the capital basically no longer exists. It's still on the timetable, but what does a timetable mean to Deutsche Bahn?

Jens Thurau has recovered from his train journey from Berlin to the North Sea and backImage: DW

Sheep on the tracks

Not long into our journey, another announcement was made: A train traveling ahead of us had hit a flock of sheep standing on the tracks. We were told that a railway emergency officer, a shepherd, a hunter and other officials were "on their way" to the scene of the accident. No further details were forthcoming. According to the train driver, the local officials who might have more information were not available, unfortunately.

Our train conductor took the initiative and called the conductor of the train involved in the accident in front of us on his mobile. It turned out that the track had been cleared.

However, we were still not permitted to continue our journey. Even our helpful conductor did not know why. "I'm going to do something I've never done before in my long career with the railway," he said and began to distribute gift vouchers. "Perhaps you will get a bouquet of flowers," he mused. "Deutsche Bahn says sorry" was printed on the vouchers. We were impressed.

From Hamburg to Berlin

Then came the next shock: because the delay had been so long, the train had been "suspended" in Hamburg. A nice way of saying: the train ends here. We were among the lucky ones, finding a fast Intercity Express waiting to take us to the capital. Other passengers were not so lucky.

"I'll be completely honest with you," our informative train conductor ventured. "We're not allowed to continue our journey because we've all far exceeded our working hours," he said. We wondered whether there was any replacement staff for emergencies like this. "There used to be, but not anymore," was the reply.

More and more railway employees are resigning, unable to put up with the mounting anger and frustration of the passengers. Many say they no longer want to work for a company that is running itself into the ground.

Finally, four hours later than planned, we reached Berlin.

From August 1, worse is to come. Hamburg to Berlin, one of the main rail routes in Germany, is scheduled to close down completely. Extensive building work is set to begin on the line, which is 280 kilometers (174 miles) long and conveys up to 30,000 passengers every day. It's scheduled to take nine months. During that time, long-distance trains will have to take a 100-kilometer detour. But if travel is smoother afterwards, we will all feel it's been worth it.

Speaking of August 1: The railway company aims to send us their apology gift by then. But it may be delayed a little.

I think next time, we'll travel to Föhr by car.

This article was originally written in German.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.