My whole family was gathering in Chicago for a bat mitzvah. I arrived at Union Station a few minutes early to meet my son’s train, due in from New York. But the reader board posted a delay, so I waited. And waited. And waited. Frustrated, I went to the information booth to ask, “What’s going on with the train from New York?”
The woman behind the thick glass said, “What do you think this is? Germany? It’s running late! A normal day for Amtrak.”
Our rail service hasn’t improved much since that long ago slap-down. Once, I took the train from Seattle to Vancouver BC. The four-hour trip became six, ample time to drive there and back. Although passenger trains are legally granted priority, Union Pacific Railroad lets freight trains pass first, consistently causing delays on Amtrak service. And extreme heat, cold, and weather events like storms, floods, high winds, tornadoes, lightning and wildfires all cause delays and breakdowns.
When my son and his family moved to Germany, we started visiting once or twice yearly. After spending time with the whole family in Berlin, my husband and I like treating our granddaughters to a special trip. Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s national railway, connects Berlin to all over Germany, and in collaboration with other national rail services, with other European cities.
Armed with purple earphones for the eldest, pink for the youngest, tablets loaded with kids’ movies, plus snacks, books, finger puppets, pens, pencils, paper, and lollipops, we had everything needed to keep them busy and happy on the long ride. The train arrived exactly on time both going and coming, leaving a very positive impression of both DB and its partner on this route, Dutch Railways. The girls did great, and were excited for our next trip.
One year later, it was time for another adventure. I chose Nuremberg, only two and a half hours from Berlin. The big draw was a Playmobil Park, half an hour by cab from the medieval city, where Holiday Inn has rooms with a king bed for grownups and a bunk bed for kids. Unlike more famous theme parks where visitors participate passively in rides and attractions, Playmobil Park is a giant playground where kids climb, splash, peddle, and paddle their hearts out. Beautifully landscaped with plenty of shade, it also has cafés and beer gardens to keep the adults happy.
As veteran train travelers, we knew the track would be announced 30 minutes before departure, that our tickets specified which car to board, and that overhead signs would say where to stand so the car would pull up right in front of us. The sign showed our train right on time. Then it changed to a ten-minute delay, then another ten-minute delay. “So much for German punctuality,” I thought.
Finally, we were on the way. The train was packed. Between two cars, a large group sat on the floor. Their train had been canceled, and by hopping on this one, they’d lost the privilege of assigned seating.
Returning to Berlin, our train was canceled, but we were re-booked on a fast train. It reached 186 mph (300 km) before completely stopping. A medical emergency on another train caused a 45-minute delay. Sheesh! Deutsche Bahn is plagued by the same issues we have in the US – increased demand for energy-efficient travel, aging infrastructure, sharing routes with freight, and staff shortages. Since Covid, over one third of long-distance trains run late. My husband joked, “Hitler is turning over in his grave.”
This European vacation ended with a week and a half in England, and five more train trips, all booked online through Great Western Railway (GWR), England’s long-distance rail service. Miraculously, every train was on time. The hardest part was buying the tickets and getting GWR’s annual Senior Discount, available for non-UK citizens. A week after emailing customer service, I received instructions on how to enter our US passport numbers, which have fewer digits than UK passports.
Even with delays, travel by train is comfortable, environmentally responsible, and fun. I love the tea cart that comes through the British trains, the beer service on the German ones, and the chats with other passengers. With a loose agenda, snacks, reading material, and patience, you can turn train journeys into memorable adventures. Don’t forget your pink or purple headphones!
Meanderings is a travel column by Mindy Stern, a Mercer Island resident whose essays can be found at www.mindysternauthor.com.
