Deustche Bahn, World class transport end-to-end!
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ANALYSIS, Germany — Train travel, after an unfashionable period in the 1970s-80s, is emerging again as an environmentally-friendlier, and practical way to travel to and from work.
Well, this is true, in Germany, and much of Europe.
The ease of implementation of the Deutsche Bahn (D-Bahn) system, allows for the enquiry into, and booking of complex train routes.
Whilst no mechanical system is perfect, those with some human knowledge of conditions on the ground in Germany, can plan and map routes across Europe using the German website for D-Bahn.
German Trains Worldwide Benchmark
In public transport the Germans are leading the way. How?
Specific details of which trains are on which routes.
Reservations of long-distance seats.
Various frequent-traveller discount programs, like Bahncard.
E-ticketing for domestic trains, using a boarding pass tied to a credit card.
Mobility information before travel for the disabled or less mobile.
Predictable, accurate timetabling.
Consistent connections between trains.
Clean, mostly safe, trains.
Not always modern trains, but consistently well-maintained.
An increasingly integrated transport system.
Lest we just say, oh those Germans have always had good trains… Remember that they have had the massive expenditure of integrating all former East-German cities.
Integrating communist era rolling stock, signal systems and trains is something that was not easy. Such integration would not happen in other free-market economies like the UK or Australia, without mammoth mistakes and front-page disasters.
Leipzig, a Great Example of what’s possible in under 1 Generation
If you want to see what an excellent job the Germans have done, go to Leipzig.
Leipzig was ranked the 5th place Innovation City worldwide in the Global innovation Review 2007. Part of this is an ability to implement innovation, due to strong infrastructure support.
As a simple example, the World Cup was held in Leipzig venues, and was managed very well by all accounts of visitors.
20 years ago, even 5-10 years ago Leipzig was nowehere near as integrated.
2thinknow Research into German Systems
I am returning this April to Germany to research trains and IT integration, as is done in the German booking System for Deutsche Bahn, as well as the use of new technologies in air travel booking that the Germans are using.
Having been to every Australian city and many more in Europe and America, the closest rival to the German system is the French System, especially Eurostar & TGV.
In the Americas Boston and San Francisco have amongst the best public transport of major cities, by US standards. But Germany is ahead.
German’s World Class Trains
Germans should be the benchmark on integrated multi-function, consistent public transport.
Integrated, multi-function transport is increasingly important when many Governments are concerned about “emissions” from cars. Trains are more environmentally friendly in most cases, than individual journeys by car, or plane flights.
But more critically, public transport enables innovation by reducing the friction on trade, allowing free uninhibited movement of people, goods and services, and enhancing cultural exchange.
What is one reason why German Public Transport Works?
Notably, whilst Germany has private basis for some transport, their is a public mindedness operating, a sense of “for the public good” imbued in the system.
This focus, is a part of the cultural factors, that lead German systems to differ from Australian or UK systems. The Australia and UK approaches are typified by heavy outsourcing and confused, inept public planning, and poor ministerial oversight.
In Germany, functioning public transport is a critical component of their world-beating approach to technology-based innovation.
Germans recognize that environmentally, culturally and economically public transport adds value.
2thinknow have identified a number of factors that contribute to the success of a public transport system, through global analysis and comparisons of transport systems.
It is not just the technology, it is the broad integrated socio-cultural approach of the Germans to public transport, that makes them world-top-of-the-class in this field.
Speaker. Author. Editor-In-Chief. Executive Director of Innovation, 2thinknow.
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