{"id":33611,"date":"2024-07-17T20:31:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T00:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-euro-2024-busted-legend-of-german-efficiency\/17\/07\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-07-17T20:31:23","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T00:31:23","slug":"how-euro-2024-busted-legend-of-german-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-euro-2024-busted-legend-of-german-efficiency\/17\/07\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"How Euro 2024 busted legend of German efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Germany\u2019s reputation for super-efficiency has suffered a body blow.<\/p>\n<p>As football fans poured in and out of cities across the country for Euro 2024, they discovered the trains weren\u2019t as good as they thought.<\/p>\n<p>One supporters\u2019 group even said services were better when Russia hosted the World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Fans praised \u201csensational\u201d pricing deals which, for ticket holders, included discounted or even free local travel as part of a sustainability drive.<\/p>\n<p>But Thomas Concannon from the Football Supporters\u2019 Association complained: \u201cWe were in constant contact with fans who were experiencing problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He believes surprise at the situation was partly borne out of a &#8220;pre-conceived reputation about Germany that the trains run on time\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Lindsey and Darren Ramskill from Goole in East Yorkshire went to six out of England&#8217;s seven matches and experienced packed trains, stop-start services and poor communication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not moaning about British trains anymore,\u201d said Lindsey. \u201cOurs are better.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 539px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/QgJ0gW1NZzwaurNkqDkJXQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzQ4\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/3670af420253d8423e5bb3ede4f6c89a\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lindsey and Darren Ramskill \" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ostFPXj7tNPno9eeLnICAA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzOQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/3670af420253d8423e5bb3ede4f6c89a\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Lindsey and Darren Ramskill were shocked by the rail service they experienced [BBC]<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Another football supporter from the neighbouring Netherlands, who travels a lot for his work as a motivational speaker, was less shocked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I can, I try to avoid Germany now because there are always problems,\u201d said Wiebe Wakker.<\/p>\n<p>After the England v Netherlands semi-final, his delayed journey out of Dortmund included an \u201cunbearably hot\u201d carriage with no functioning air conditioning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone was sweating,\u201d he said. It was so \u201chorrible\u201d he got off and took a taxi the rest of the way with some England supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Within Germany there\u2019s been exasperation with the Deutsche Bahn national rail operator for years.<\/p>\n<p>Just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundestag.de\/presse\/hib\/kurzmeldungen-991576\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:64% cent of long-distance trains;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">64% cent of long-distance trains<\/a> ran on time in 2023. That compares with a declining level of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/rail-factsheet-2023\/rail-factsheet-2023\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:punctuality in Great Britain of 67.8%;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">punctuality in Great Britain of 67.8%<\/a> trains arriving on schedule in the year to March 2023.<\/p>\n<p>In Germany, calls for desperately needed investment are often heard as part of a wider debate about how to boost a flagging economy.<\/p>\n<p>German transport lobby group Allianz pro Schiene (pro-Rail alliance) compared spending per person on railway infrastructure across 14 European countries including the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 900px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:98%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ZEI0E2qha3qcOc1VxIxSMQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE4NDA7aD0xODAw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/667ab9d314102e0e01c0651879875d21\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"State rail investment in Europe. Per person in \u20ac in 2023.  .\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/KiJ9iJePfkfCdZEDV1VkpA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTkzOQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/667ab9d314102e0e01c0651879875d21\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"State rail investment in Europe. Per person in \u20ac in 2023.  .\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/KiJ9iJePfkfCdZEDV1VkpA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTkzOQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/667ab9d314102e0e01c0651879875d21\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">State rail investment in Europe. Per person in \u20ac in 2023. .<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It found Germany was 10th last year at \u20ac115 (\u00a397) per person, while the UK was sixth and Luxembourg topped the group with \u20ac512 per head.<\/p>\n<p>For Germans it is no surprise that well-used motto &#8220;Vorsprung durch Technik&#8221; (Headstart through Technology) belies a less potent, more sluggish, picture.<\/p>\n<p>Europe\u2019s largest economy has for years quite publicly struggled with how to modernise.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts do not just blame a lack of investment but a failure to digitise the economy married with tedious red tape.<\/p>\n<p>Rules and paperwork can suck up valuable time for both businesses and people.<\/p>\n<p>One example, in Berlin, is that you are legally required to make an in-person appointment to register a new home address within two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>But good luck getting one.<\/p>\n<p>The local government website offers no available appointments at all on Wedneday, right through to mid-September.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 540px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/7eYIepBHVFwUFw1GdfUTZg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTIwNDQ7aD0xMTUw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/d95d96ada84f1bc4512729d660083ef0\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Germany supporters wait at the public football viewing area in front of the landmark Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany on July 5, 2024, prior to the Uefa Euro 2024 quarter-final football match between Spain and Germany\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8s57nquL6hd9gtJBI8knFw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/d95d96ada84f1bc4512729d660083ef0\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Germany supporters wait at the public football viewing area in front of the landmark Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany on July 5, 2024, prior to the Uefa Euro 2024 quarter-final football match between Spain and Germany\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8s57nquL6hd9gtJBI8knFw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/d95d96ada84f1bc4512729d660083ef0\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">[ RALF HIRSCHBERGER\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Both private and public sectors have seen under-investment for years, says Professor Hubertus Bardt from the German Economic Institute (IW).<\/p>\n<p>Railways have undergone a \u201chere and there\u201d approach to repairs, he says, which &#8220;causes delays and doesn\u2019t really solve the problems\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>More major works are now getting going such as the five-month mega-renewal on the Frankfurt-to-Mannheim line.<\/p>\n<p>But Professor Bardt believes a \u201chuge programme\u201d of broader spending is needed which looks well beyond the annual budgets that can cause political agony for Germany\u2019s ruling coalition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have thousands of bridges that have to be renovated or rebuilt,\u201d he says. The problem is primarily in western Germany which is creaking under infrastructure built in the sixties and seventies, while the east saw fresh investment after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.<\/p>\n<p>The overall view for Germany is worrying, as economic growth forecasts continue to put it at the bottom of the pile when compared with other G7 major economies.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s projected to grow by just 0.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).<\/p>\n<p>Efficiency, unrivalled industry and punctuality are labels that have stubbornly stuck to Germany\u2019s reputation abroad but have long worn thin at home.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" style=\"display:block\" class=\"lazyload\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=75&resize=75 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=100&resize=100 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=150&resize=150 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=240&resize=240 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=320&resize=320 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=500&resize=500 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=640&resize=640 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=800&resize=800 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=1024&resize=1024 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=1280&resize=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=1600&resize=1600 1600w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/\"\/><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/euro-2024-busted-legend-german-000154805.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Germany&rsquo;s reputation for super-efficiency has suffered a body blow. As football fans poured in and out of cities across the country for<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-euro-2024-busted-legend-of-german-efficiency\/17\/07\/2024\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}