A recent report by Tagesspiegel caused a sensation, according to which Deutsche Bahn runs routes with… “ghost trains”, i.e. without passengers, on Berlin’s railway lines.

The reason is the lack of train depot lines. Since many routes originate from or end in the German capital, there are no free tracks in Berlin that are just reserved for train parking.

Both the lines within Berlin and those around the German capital also run night routes. Thus, Deutsche Bahn’s high-speed trains, ICE trains, which would otherwise remain stationary, must be in motion along unused lines. In statements to Tagesspiegel, a DB representative even clarified that this practice is “absolutely common”.

According to the German media, DB was planning to build deposit lines in an area in the southern suburbs of Berlin, but these plans were shelved after protests by residents. Now a new facility is to be built in Pankoff, in the north of the city.

The driver shortage problem is getting worse

Running empty trains not only costs electricity, but also exacerbates the already big problem of driver shortages, since the drivers who run the evening routes do not take over the same day to run regular passenger routes.

It is currently planned to increase traffic on the existing railway lines, which would mean that a total of at least 5,000 more drivers would need to be employed annually.

But since it is difficult to expand the rail network and find a new workforce, DB is at least seeking to move faster with digitalization.

The German company recently announced that from December 15 timetables will no longer be posted on the platforms in order to reduce related costs and paper consumption. Instead of timetables, there will be QR-Codes, which passengers will be able to scan and thus find live the arrival time of the next trains.

Of course, DB’s announcement immediately brought mocking comments on social media: “It makes sense, since trains come at random times or don’t come at all,” wrote a user on X, wanting to comment in a scathing way on the frequent delays of the itineraries.

DB immediately changed its stance

But before criticism and sarcastic comments began to follow each other, DB responded to the criticism by announcing that printed timetables will eventually continue to be posted on platforms. Critics have argued that there are also passengers who either do not have smartphones with them or do not know how to scan QR codes.

The company said, however, that in the next period “the use of printed programs at the railway stations will be evaluated as a whole” – in other words, it will be examined whether it is worth continuing the consumption of paper on such a scale to post the routes.

The paradox is, however, that despite the problems of the network, citizens in Germany are not turning their backs on the railway – quite the opposite. Since the 1990s the number of passengers has increased by around 50%, while the transport of goods by rail has almost doubled. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of trains and carriages, even though the railway network has shrunk by more than 10%.

Following the hosting of the 2024 European Championship last summer, when fans across Europe suffered from delays and cancellations and the problems of German railways made international headlines, DB decided to launch a restructuring programme. The goal? For German railways to regain the good reputation they enjoyed for years in previous decades.

Edited by: Giorgos Passas