Dud on the tracks
无用的列车
The travails of Germany’s rail passengers
德国铁路乘客苦不堪言
A quarter of long-distance trains are late
1/4的长途列车晚点
GERMAN COMEDY fans howled when a character in “The Big Bang Theory”, a nerdy sitcom, likened the regularity of his bowel movements to a “German train schedule”. Scatology will always be welcome in Germany. But it was the absurdity of the comparison that stood out. Last year one-quarter of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services were late. Commuters are resigned to delays, missed connections and overcrowded carriages. Surprisingly to many, among Europeans only Romanian, Bulgarian and Italian passengers are unhappier with their trains. “It’s very frustrating,” says Luise Maudanz, a project manager. After regular cancellations on the Berlin-Munich line last year, she started flying instead.
在书呆子式的情景戏剧《生活大爆炸》中，一名演员将他的排泄规律比作“德国列车时刻表”，这引起了德国喜剧粉丝的放声大笑。粪便学在德国总是大受欢迎，但这种比较的荒谬性是引人关注的。去年，德国联邦铁路公司1/4的长途列车晚点。通勤人员逆来顺受地接受晚点，错过联运车和乘坐人满为患的车厢。令很多人惊讶的是，在欧洲只有罗马尼亚，保加利亚和意大利乘客会对他们乘坐的列车不满。项目经理路易斯•莫丹兹（Luise Maudanz）表示：“这很令人沮丧。”去年，在柏林到慕尼黑的定期航线取消后，她选择了乘坐飞机。
Having been hauled over the coals by ministers, Deutsche Bahn (DB), Europe’s largest train operator, has presented a five-point plan to improve its performance, including more money and a hiring spree. But progress will be slow, at best. Germany’s low-investment culture has left its infrastructure dilapidated and outdated. The rail network has not kept pace with the long-term population shift to cities or the increase in freight traffic from ports. Disposal of some foreign interests could help fund the business at home; DB’s 700 subsidiaries operate in over 130 countries. But the estimated €4bn ($4.5bn) that the sale of Arriva, a British transport firm, would raise is a fraction of the investment needed. Passenger numbers have doubled since 1994, when DB was formed. The government wants them to do so again by 2030.
在受到多位部长的严厉斥责后，欧洲最大的铁路运营商德国联邦铁路公司提出了五点提高绩效的方案，包括投入更多的资金和雇佣更多的员工。但即使往最好里说，这一进程也是缓慢的。德国投资低下的文化使得基础设施年久失修并且落后不堪。铁路网没有跟上长期人口流向城市的步伐和港口货运量的增长。变卖一些国外资产可为国内业务提供资金，德国联邦铁路公司的700家子公司在130多个国家运营。但出售英国运输公司Arriva估计可获得至40亿欧元（45亿美元）是所需投资的一小部分。自1994年德国联邦铁路公司成立以来，乘客人数已翻了一番。政府希望到2030年乘客人数再次翻一番。
Germany’s government, which owns DB, has not helped. A pension reform in 2014 caused a wave of early retirement that left DB scrambling for staff in a tight labour market. Lower taxes and fees on other forms of transport have tilted the field against rail. It is too easy to blame Germany’s crafty car lobbyists, says Christian Böttger at Berlin’s University of Applied Sciences. Just 7% of Germans make a long-distance trip once a month; one-third never use public transport at all. Politicians react accordingly.
控股德国联邦铁路公司的德国联邦政府并没有提供帮助。2014年，养老金改革引发了员工提前退休的浪潮，这导致了德国联邦铁路公司在紧张的劳动力市场上争抢工人。在其他交通领域的较低税收和费用已对铁路造成了不利影响。柏林工程应用科学大学的克里斯蒂安•贝特格（Christian Böttger）说，将这一切归咎于狡猾的德国汽车说客实在太简单了。只有7%的德国人每月会进行一次长途旅行，1/3的德国人从不乘坐公共交通工具。政客也将相应地做出反应。
Some urge a sense of proportion. In 2017 a survey by BCG, a consultancy, placed Germany’s rail service in the first of three European tiers. Train travel remains affordable, regional services are efficient, and this year passengers should be mollified by new rolling stock and renovated stations. Still, even DB’s management admits punctuality will barely improve in the years ahead.
有人呼吁对此要有轻重缓急之分。2017年，咨询公司BCG在一项调查中将德国铁路服务放在欧洲三个层级中的首位。铁路旅行要可以让公众负担得起，区域服务效率要高，并且今年新配置的铁路车辆和翻新的车站要让乘客满意。尽管如此，即便是德国联邦铁路公司的管理者也承认，针对列车的准时性在未来几乎是得不到提高的。
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