By: Aaron Li

As the crowds flood the streets of Germany for the 2024 Euro Cup, the results are uncertain but one thing is: that the German subway, Deutsche Bahn, is terribly slow. So slow that it has become a nationwide joke.

The reason for this is a lack of maintenance. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Berlin, Deutsche Bahn was commended for its slick and speedy service, but now it’s a different story.

Half of all German rail lines have been destroyed or rendered useless in the last 70 years. As a result, there is heavy foot traffic at all operating stations, most of which lack digital displays and other modern technology. In Stuttgart, a massive renovation project to be completed in 2026 astonished riders when they found the station to be a massive gaping hole. Less than half of the money required to repair train stations and railways is allocated into doing so, creating the lack of efficiency and bad experience for riders.

Niclas Fullkrug, Germany’s forward, rode the train a day early, stating, “Out of respect for Deutsche Bahn, I traveled one day earlier,” proving that the bad service is widespread across all social classes, from traveling sports stars to the average German.

The lack of air conditioning in a sweltering summer forced staff to hand out ice pops to sweating riders. On top of that, the train stations wind down long and narrow hallways, confusing almost all foreign tourists, requiring even more staff to help locate the stadium.

Even compared to countries like the U.S., that have very little railroads, Germany’s trains are on average later by a horrendous 9%. Meanwhile, its neighbors Austria and France are 94% and 87% late respectively, compared to Germany’s paltry 63%.

For those that are traveling to the Euro 2024, the words Felix Dachsel from German newspaper Der Spiegel sums it up the best: “You can beat Germany, but you will lose to Deutsche Bahn.”