Here in the Rhine Valley area.....we have the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), which is the 'agent' that runs all of the bus, tram, and regional trainlines.
There's a good article over at HR today, which chats about the accomplishments of the RMV, and where it's going. Last year, they moved around 805 million passengers over the entire year (remember, this is Frankfurt, Darmstadt and Wiesbaden).
Some folks are predicting the one-billion passenger point by 2025.
But HR explains....there's serious issues in the mix now:
1. The network has serious issues on being late, or cancelling 'runs'. Customer expectations are being pushed to the extreme.
2. Shortages of personnel. HR points out....one in three railway drivers are in the near-retirement phase over the next five to ten years.
3. The renovation plans are a serious problem presently.
4. The railway system is pushed to the max and presently, it's questionable if they can expand and take on more passengers.
Where all of this leads to? Well....public confidence is presently a daily topic and a lot of Germans grumble about the travels required.
They'd all like to avoid the staus (the heavy traffic on the autobahn system), and would agree to use public transportation....but only if it were reliable. When you utter the German phrase 'zuverlässig'....'reliable'....Germans usually grin. They have fairly high expectations, just saying that 75-percent of the time that the buses and trains run on time.....is not enough.
So, if you were looking for a decent article on the system.....I'd recommend this one.
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