DB Fernverkehr / Baureihe 412 / ICE 4 / XXL ICE
This is a therapeutic text to deal with a return journey trauma. In the case of the railway, that simply meant damage to the overhead line. Happens more often.
Shortly before Bielefeld, the ICE stopped, no more electricity. The train manager kindly explained which systems would fail first – air conditioning, coffee machine – and which later. Queues immediately formed in front of the toilets.
Some passengers opened the doors because of the increasing heat, which immediately triggered a clear reprimand from the train manager. Way too dangerous. In addition, the doors could only be closed electrically. Such an ICE is paralyzed without electricity.
The mood in the fully occupied train was maintained to some extent with free drinks, the complete supply of ice cream and chips from the on-board bistro and entertaining conversations about even more curious train experiences. Ultimately, the train manager had to give in and open the doors again – the first passengers threatened to collapse.
After two and a half hours, the train was towed at a snail’s pace to the next station, from where buses took us to Hanover. There we were allowed to wait for the next train to Berlin, which was also hopelessly delayed. Instead of 6:26 p.m., we reached the Ostbahnhof at around 12:50 a.m. – before Berlin, the damage to the overhead line was accompanied by a signal fault.
This happened a few days ago, when exactly does not matter. Deutsche Bahn is overwhelmed with its core task of transporting people through Germany and neighboring countries according to a specified timetable. Instead of a 50 percent fare refund, I would now like the Swiss railway to take over the German one.
