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Night Train Cuts in Europe

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    Night Train Cuts in Europe

    So, there is a network of night train lines known as the city night line (CNL) that connect various cities in Europe. These lines are largely still in place in an effort to reduce carbon emissions throughout Europe. Recently, Deutsche Bahn announced that it will no longer put in full effort to keep its end of the deal, cutting a whackload of lines such as Berlin-Paris and a line connecting Copenhagen to central Europe. It cites low profitability and growth as some of its reasons.

    As an environmentalist, I find this deeply upsetting. Flying and driving are terrible for the environment. Germany really needs to think carefully about this, because despite its "green" reputation, it is one of Europe's worst polluters. Partly this is due to its industrial activity (especially the fact that it still produces power in coal plants), but the amount of driving people do here doesn't help. Germany is doing squat all to get people off of the roads. The auto industry lobbies are just too powerful.

    I also feel that there is a political angle here. Deutsche Bahn was privatized (although the government is still a majority shareholder in the organization). I feel that if it were still 100% state-run, then its goal could be to provide the services that Germans and Europeans need instead of those that are the most profitable. As a German, I also struggle with Deutsche Bahn a LOT. It is by far the most expensive way to travel in Germany. I would -love- nothing more than to take the train everywhere, but sometimes, it's just too expensive. I still frequently take it, but there are a lot of cases where I just can't afford it. It's also cutting services all over Germany (if you live in a smaller community, you may not even have a train station anymore) and is getting more and more unreliable. As I write this, my boyfriend is on a train to visit. He texted me about half an hour ago to tell me that every connection he's had has been late. So much for Deutsche Bahn's reputation for being punctual.

    Deutsche Bahn frequently cites declining ridership as a reason why it must make these cuts, but with high prices for unreliable travel that sometimes won't even take you where you need to go (if you're from anywhere rural), what does it expect?

    If you are in Europe and this bothers you, *please sign the petition below. * Even if you don't travel, don't take night trains, or don't travel through routes that go to Germany or run through Germany (this affects connections such as Copenhagen to Amsterdam or Copenhagen to Prague, for example), sign it if you care about night train service continuing for other people.



    The sleeper service is being phased out across the continent as operators are hit by hefty taxes and rise of budget airline


    #2
    Re: Night Train Cuts in Europe

    Signed and shared. Back in my misspent (misspelt??? ) youth, I used the night trains several times to cross Europe (I never liked flying much). A brilliant way to travel.
    www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


    Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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      #3
      Re: Night Train Cuts in Europe

      Thanks, Tylluan!

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