The Thing About On-Board Bahn Toilets

 On my list of 25-odd complaints about life in Germany....is the railway toilet business.

In 1984/1985....I rode a ton of kilometers via the Bahn, and you never had a single toilet onboard that malfunctioned or was closed with the sign 'kaput' on it.

In the period 2015 to 2020 (before Covid came along)....I rode a ton of kilometers and I'd say in 20-percent of situations....the on-board toilets were broke.  On one instance, with four cars in operation.....all four toilets were signed-up with 'kaput'.  I actually had to get off the train and walk into a bahnhof area to use their toilet and catch the next train.

Why this issue?  I've sat and thought about this a good bit.  Before the 1990s....all trains had the open-pit deal.....you did your business, and as you flushed....it went down onto the track below.  In the 1990s......the new trains had a storage compartment under it, and nightly....as part of the maintenance review....it'd dump the tank.  Personally, I believe the tanks were developed with half the space you'd need for a whole day of 'crapping'.

So this brings me to the experience of planning trips now with the Bahn.  I'll plan out a trip and try to ensure as I start an adventure....I use the station facilities before getting on the train.  It's a stupid step, but modernization has triggered this.