Light and dark sides
ADAC test: What annoys travelers most when traveling by train
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Unpunctuality, dirty toilets and lame internet: the ADAC carried out 30 test drives with Deutsche Bahn and checked the quality of long-distance transport. In addition to significant flaws, there is also praise.
What about rail travel in ICE and IC trains in times of Corona? The ADAC testers looked into this question last summer and made 30 trips across Germany. Five categories were taken into account and evaluated for each individual train journey.
These test categories reflect what is particularly important to Deutsche Bahn customers: information and punctuality as well as the condition and hygiene of the sanitary facilities were given the greatest weight. This is followed by seating and travel comfort, staff as well as cell phone network and internet access.
The result is mixed: not even half of the trains were punctually in the test: only twelve reached their destination as announced in the timetable, which corresponds to 43 percent. Seven were a maximum of six minutes late, another six were less than 16 minutes. With three connections, the delays were sometimes much longer. A train only reached its destination 92 minutes late. And the testers could not make two of the originally planned 30 trips because the connections failed.
Toilets with harmful germs
In terms of its information policy, Deutsche Bahn did better in practice. Overall, the results are rated as good. “Alternative connections were announced in good time, and passengers received e-mails or push messages in the event of platform changes or delays,” the testers write in their report. There were only no announcements on one train.
The testers describe their experiences with the Internet while driving as “mixed”. Five trains had no WiFi at all, and the testers only had good reception on just under half of the journeys. Streaming with a bandwidth of 2 Mbit per second or more is difficult at such speeds. The cell phone network reception was consistently good on four out of ten trains.
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In terms of cleanliness and hygiene, the ADAC diagnosed a clear need for improvement: “In twelve trains (43 percent) there was a noticeable bacterial load, nine samples were even potentially hazardous to health,” it says. Although the toilets are optically clean, the doorknobs and toilet seats are still contaminated with germs.
It was also unpleasant that the barrier-free toilets were permanently blocked in two trains. People with limited mobility could not use these trains at all. The club’s conclusion on this topic is clear: “Train passengers should be able to expect more thorough cleaning of the toilets, but also the reliable provision of hygiene bags and, in pandemic times, especially disinfectants.”
Great praise for the train attendants
In terms of seating and travel comfort, the train performed significantly better. 19 trains received a very good rating here. “The pandemic-related free neighboring seat when making reservations was always kept free in the test, and the support for wheelchair users through the train would have worked on every trip.” However, rail travelers could not always rely on the gastronomic offer.
On the other hand, there were good grades for the staff on the trains. During the 30 journeys, the ADAC testers were able to give top marks 27 times. “The train attendants, who were competent and almost always quickly found on the trains, received a positive rating,” was the praise.
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