The notion that trains run on time in Germany has always been a myth. I’ve lived in the country for nine years and have found them to be increasingly less reliable throughout that period. Intercity trains usually depart late and arrive even later. Inner-city trains, including the underground service, are often cancelled at short notice.
I had high hopes that Germany would up its game for the Euros. The nation won the right to host the tournament six years ago and, if it isn’t able to offer a reliable service to those of us who live here permanently, I believed that it could at least put on a decent front for a month while the whole continent is visiting. I was wrong.
Post-game tales from England’s opening match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen – in which fans were stranded at the stadium’s train station for several hours after the final whistle – were as inevitable as they were no doubt frustrating for those present. There have been several other games at Schalke’s home ground since then and things appear to have improved. But how could they have got things so wrong for that game?
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While nowhere near as extreme, I’ve had my own issues travelling around the country attending matches for FourFourTwo. Ahead of Portugal vs Czech Republic in Leipzig, the underground service was so late I thought I’d miss my ICE (InterCity Express) train, despite giving myself a 20-minute bumper. I needn’t have worried. The ICE was also late and then caused mass confusion by arriving at a different platform to the one shown on both the app and the platform screens. Nobody from operators Deutsche Bahn was around to help.
After the match, the trains heading back towards Berlin were so delayed I actually took one that had been scheduled to leave an hour before the one I had a ticket for. The journey home, which should have been an hour and 20 minutes, took more than two hours due to several, unexplained, lengthy stops. I got home after 2am. My trip to Frankfurt, for England’s clash with Denmark, was also delayed by 45 minutes. No big deal in the grand scheme of things but it made meeting friends a pain.
After meeting up with my group, we took a tram towards the train station that stopped and kicked us off for no fathomable reason. Once we’d arrived (on foot!), we were sent back and forth to various platforms, nobody quite sure where the correct train would depart from.
If transport was cheap, you might accept a few issues here and there. It isn’t. Ticket-holding fans and reporters were promised one-way fares would be capped at €30 during the competition. Later on, Deutsche Bahn backtracked, saying there were only a certain number of tickets available at that price. This, despite the fact many ICE trains are largely empty.
Football fans and journalists have been forced to spend upwards of €70 on heavily delayed, poorly organised train journeys. I saw one fan charged more than €220 by an unsympathetic ticket inspector for simply being on the wrong train. It was laughable given the issues fans have had to put up with.
Around and inside stadiums, volunteers and stewards have been unable to answer simple questions, such as where media entrances are. At the Olympiastadion for Spain vs Croatia, a steward shepherded me down a tunnel which eventually led pitchside. I emerged behind one of the dugouts and was swiftly reprimanded by a different steward for being there without permission. I had to go all the way around and back in through the turnstiles again.
The cost of food and drink inside the grounds is also exorbitant and made worse by Germany’s ‘Pfand’ system. An additional €3 is charged for each cup, which is then returned once the cup is brought back. That means a Coca-Cola will cost you €10 at the time of purchase; a beer €11. Even with the cup refund taken off, it’s eye-watering.
The football has been excellent, stadiums full and a large police presence has helped ensure crowds feel safe. But travel, organisational and pricing issues have made Euro 2024 a slog for many so far. Fingers crossed things drastically improve as the tournament goes on.
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