cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49253586
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This reads as if all Europeans ride trains in Alps multiple times a day. Guys... Nice view might be somewhere in Italy, France or Switzerland. Your typical speed train from Berlin to Frankfurt would have only fields and woods, and occasional city pass-through.
This also applies only to countries where rail network is developed. Take some Baltic countries or some far east Europe countries and your commute from city A to city B in a train would be a mild annoyance at best and a nightmare at worst. You'd also be lucky if train goes more than 3 times a day or if trains go more than just capital to 2nd biggest city. Driving car in these countries is bareable. Also, population density makes it not feasible to connect two cities with a population around or lower than 20k with each other.
Source: Latvian who moved to Germany.
are you saying fields and woods isn't a nice view? lol
Riding into Frankfurt for example can be quite nice tho. You see the skyscrapers in the distance while riding at 250-300 km/h through gently rolling hills dotted with small villages while drinking your free bahnbonus beer...
True: riding trains is not all alpine landscapes dreamrides, but it's often through a nice landscape nonetheless, just not as spectacular. Being in a 1h delayed train still beats being in a 1h car traffic jam imo
Riding a train through the alps also can mean sitting in a dark tunnel seeing nothing but your fellow riders.
Beats sitting in a car in a dark tunnel below the alps though.
Get beaten by standing on top of them, watching the stunning nature.
Despite common issues with Deutsche Bahn, I generally had quite a good experience with them and delays happened rarely. The only one I can remember is over 1h delay because one wagon laot power and pasaangwrs had to be reseated which meant less space to seat (still found a seat).
I once took flixtrain and will take it no more. Slower, fucking loud as fuck especially near exit area, and quite uncomfortable seats. Cheap but fuck it, I'd rather overpay.
I do own a car and few times a year I drive to NRW to visit my parents. Time wise it is the same. And price wise if I go with my wife - it is slightly cheaper. I do use Waze which helps avoid major traffic jams. It still sometimes leads us in one but never more than 20min.
I commute the city by bycicle and Deutschlandticket. Local transportation companies work good 95% of the time. 4% of the time they don't but they usually have a good reason. 1% of the time tram/bus/train comes 3 minutes early and annoys the hell out of me.
I can't go by train back to Latvia. Either plane, bus or by car. Cheapest is by bus but once I drove 15h in a bus and I have promised to myself to never go by bus more than 8h. Next best thing is by car. Over 1000km is about 15h with all the stops but it is still cheaper than flying. Flying is fine, short and fast. But then I end up in Rīga and have to take train 6hay goes like 3 times a day. Or I have to rent a car and only rent for a week will be more expensiver than driving my own car to and back to home. Plane tickets are expensiver than fuel too. So plane and renting a car is extremely expensive.
I rarely use car. It usually stays parked for days or weeks. But i won't get rid of it. It is a useful tool to me and accomplishes things that planes, trains and trams can't. It is also fucking nuts how expensive it is just to own one but it brings too much worth on my life.
Yeah flixtrain is a no go for more than 1 or 2 hours: fucking loud indeed, no airco, not enough working toilets!
I've travelled rail in many European countries and overall to me DB ist a pretty good price for what you get.
Perhaps, one day, by 2040 or so: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_Baltica :)
One can only hope, but experience shows that corruption doesn't dissappear in one night 😭
I've taken a train through ~~Baltic~~ Balkan countries. Granted it was Croatia to Slovenia, but holy shit the ride toward Ljubljana along the Sava felt idyllic. However even a more mundane urban train commute in Europe would be eye-opening to most Americans. The tweet is being intentionally hyperbolic.
i think you mean balkan
Yes lol thank you.
estonian here, it's lowk chill here.
Does Slovakia count?
The shorter routes can be fairly slow. "Finally, we are going fast! The train has reached the top speed of 40km/h!"
Also, some older units can be awful. No air-conditioning is one thing. But I also encountered a different issue. I don't have a noise level meter, but if you're taking something like the old railbus between Zvolen and Horná Štubňa, bring hearing protection. I at least had earphones, but god damn, that shit is loud.
Congrats, you took a train ride through a rural area. Side effects may include: heatstroke, muffled hearing, tinnitus.