My theory.
In 1978, I was introduced to the German railway system. At the time, there were four curious positive points. First, it wasn't very technical. Second, you bought tickets from a person (mostly) and there was one single pricing scheme. Third, for the most part....it was on-time, but you didn't really care if it ran 30 minutes late. Finally, train toilets and station toilets....worked.
Between 1978 and 2025....things evolved.
Everything is highly technical....with your reliance on a App at a top-level. Odds of breakage? It's probably triple of what existed in 1978.
With train toilets....it's 50-50 whether they work. At stations....as long as it's a medium-sized or large station....they exist, and you pay 1-Euro.
You can go to the counter to buy a ticket...discovering the way you get there....might have six different pricing schemes.
If you used a train 150 occasions throughout a year....the odds are that 20-percent of the occasions are either delayed (by 30 minutes or more), or totally cancelled. Plan 'B' is always in your mind.
So, I've come to this reality....it's an adventure to travel via the German rail service. It pushes you to appreciate things that work. You generally improve your plan 'B' mentality. And it's occasionally entertaining to note the amount of grumbling by Germans, when dumped mid-route...with limited options to complete the trip.
When I peak on Bahn-stress? It usually mid-summer days when the AC is crapped-out by mid-afternoon, or when all six toilets on a long-haul train are broke at the same time.
My worst experience? I paid for first-class tickets.....Frankfurt to Hamburg....with reserved seats. About 12 minutes before the Frankfurt train was to leave....it got cancelled. They ran a back-up train 30 minutes later....combining two trains....with no reserved seats (yeah, I already paid). It did eventually get to Hamburg.
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