Deutsche Bahn AG Reviews 5,257

I travel regularly from the netherlands to münster. I would say about 50% of the time, there are defect trains, or delays which make the train not go from germany to the netherlands in order to catch up time. Its simply too unreliable to use, will buy a car next month

Never come in contact with a company so incapable of providing a service. Trains delayed or cancelled everytime I used them. Interrailed europe and waisted so many pass days on this company.

My three journeys with DB rail in August 24 just got considerably worse as they went on. Of all the negative experiences I have had in Asia, Australia, India and Europe in my 40 years of travelling on rail, the three worst was with DB rail in one single month. Incompetence at a totally new level I have not experienced before.

The staff have a strong contempt for anyone not German and are just plain rude to the passengers that are German. One would think that they were recruited by from the Stasi after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Not one of the trains had a working toilet, I bought 1st class tickets to no avail.

On one journey the train stopped at an isolated station not on the itinerary and all the German passengers got off. Several american passengers and ourselves left on board. I asked the conductor what was happening. He informed me that the 1st class carriage had faulty brakes and was being left behind. I asked what would we have to do. He informed me that we would have to go to the first carriage at the other end of the train. My partner and myself ran to the first carriage with all our luggage and the train moved off as my partner was getting on the train. We have no idea what happened to the Americans. If we had not of asked we would have been left on the carriage.

On our last journey we missed the train that had left 4 minutes early. We missed it as the elevators were broken and we had to lug our suitcases down three flights of stairs. My partner was needing to use the toilet. Another train was scheduled in 25 minutes so she went to find the toilet which was closed. That train didn't come so we asked DB, who advised that they didn't know what happened to it and that is still could come, however advised catching another train.
We caught another train which arrived on time but changed platforms. so up three flights of stairs and back down again. The train has a toilet, happy days except it was out of order. Onwards to the airport, got on board with 20 minutes to spare. Best news of the day, the airport had working free to use toilets. Who could believe that this would be the highlight of our day.

NB: Germany is a great place and I loved it.

Deutsche Bahn is so incompetent that it contributes significantly to Germany‘s economic stagnation by slowing people down and creating bottlenecks. It’s a disgrace to human civilization and they make me feel shame.

DB can’t ever make it on time, people loose connections because of those trains and no one coordinates it. DB is a national embarrassment!
Traveling from Düsseldorf to Venlo - missed next train because DB is late.
And I have never seen such a fealty toilet in a train as it was in that Düsseldorf train RE20086

Delays on delays on delays.
We keep having to wait because there are other trains on the track. I guess once you're late, the schedule is ruined but surely once you're over AN HOUR LATE we should have some priority?!
Your information sharing sucks.
Your booking on your app sucks.
Your scheduling sucks.

Absolutely appalling, the worst, rude attendants who don’t help you, and say ‘next time, take your car’ when you ask for help. We travelled 9+ hours from Luneburg to Vienna Central. Unscheduled changes due to “low power” on our train, added over a hour to an already late train. Broken seat in first class. The train then terminated before our destination, without any help offered. Totally unacceptable, especially for the price. We took a train to be more environmentally friendly, rather than fly. The train was double the cost. Next time, we will take a plane! Shame on DB.

there isn’t one time in the past 2 years that I’ve used your services (usually Amsterdam - Cologne) and there hasn’t been a problem and a delay :)

If I could score lower I would. I flew into Frankfurt airport terminal and had previously booked a ticket to take me to another city. I had never been in the airport and went to the DB service desk to get directions. Worst customer service I have ever experienced. Ended up being screamed at because I couldn’t understand her English with her accent and my German wasn’t good enough at the time. Worst experience and a horrible way to enter a country sleep deprived and exhausted after a 12+ flight. Will never fly into Frankfurt again.

I had the opportunity to travel across Europe by train, experiencing the varying levels of efficiency each country offers. Unfortunately, my train journeys within Germany were notably the least reliable. Over several months, regardless of whether I was on a Eurostar or an ICE train, delays were a constant issue — often exceeding an hour. It seemed that the moment we crossed into Germany, the likelihood of encountering delays surged. This became particularly problematic when I had tight schedules or connections to make. For those planning train travel in Germany, especially with critical timings or connections, I'd advise keeping this in mind. While the country has much to offer, its train system's punctuality didn't quite meet expectations during my travels.

Very bad, they need more trains

I would have given two stars but that would have improved their average rating - which is not something I ever want to happen.

The continual lateness of the trains is really something.

June 26: The 11:13 train from Vienna to Frankfurt was cancelled at short notice with no immediate explantion. I had to wait in the travel office in Vienna for about an hour before they found me an alternative later route to get me as far as Frankfurt - and on to Brussels for the evening. However this train was also significantly delayed and I ultimately arrived at Frankfurt station closer to 10-11 pm with no chance of reaching Brussels. The ticket office was closed (!?!), leaving only a handful of stressed and overwhelmed staff at the central information desk to deal with the numerous football fans looking for transport/accommodation. I had to wait there about another hour before I was told there were no DB-partnered hotels available and I was on my own!! The staff member gave me a scrawled post-it note with some hotels to try and sent me on my way. I had to walk along the area next to the station, being accosted by drunks and drug addicts, carrying my full heavy baggage, trying two fully booked-out hotels, before finally finding one with the very last room free - finally getting to a bed at about midnight.

If there is a big sporting tournament event being played in any city, this is known well in advance and provisions have to be taken - eg. enough staff, emergency accommodation. Running the trains on time would be an obvious easy solution too - why are DB trains more often late than not? What would have happened if I hadn't had 200-odd EUR available on a credit card - or if all the hotels had been full?

On the return journey back to Austria there were further repeated delays and chaotic scenes at Köln station - where it was unclear to staff if the 13:17 was actually coming or I had missed it. In the end, after a total 45-minute I made my connection in Nüremburg only because the train in front waited for us.

So, despite some helpful staff along the way, it's been - on the whole - another really negative experience with DB. It's sad really, as a service like this will just drive people to planes and cars.

Never in my life do i prepare for survival like i do before boarding a DB train. Think you just need to pack lunch for the journey? Think again! Why not pack enough food and water for two days? Because not only will they double your journey time, they are very likely to drop you off at some random shiiithole somewhere in germany, no better than stranding on a deserted island, possibly worse.

Travelling from Wuppertal hbf to Katowice in Poland via train with my girlfriend and a Labrador plus 4 bags of luggage, so booked 3 tickets. Yes, the dog needs a ticket. Booked the ICE to Berlin and the EC from Berlin to Katowice both with seat reservation which is a 11 hour journey. The journey on the ICE to Berlin was nice but was 30 min late. Then the EC was canceled and there was no alternative route that day as it was already afternoon. The train was already cancelled for days but they did not inform us about it. We would have not taken the journey if we would know. So we got a hotel paid by DB at the railway station. Very dark room in the lowest floor. Seemed like a small prison cell. The Hotel did not want us to leave before paying a 15€ fee for the dog. The next train was at 6:20 in the morning. However, it was not the EC with seat reservation, which was important to us because of the dog. There were 3 trains with 9 min gap between them with a total travel time of 8h. Not one of the trains had reserved seats and the trains were very busy. So we ended up standing in the corridor with bags and dog on every train for 8h straight, next to the toilets with an incredible smell of pee. The conductor was not helpful at all, the train was fully booked, also there was an emergency compartment for 8 people left empty waiting for emergencies. The conductor did not spot any. But ok, I get that rules, right. 3 phone calls were made to the service about of the train, no one helpful at all. Informed the service person, amongst others Mrs Cupilj (or Cupily) about my girlfriend’s sciatica and no one of us being able to stand 8h straight in a moving train. However they did not care. I asked if we can get alternative transport like flix bus but this was not possible. We would need to book it our selfs and pay for it which is quite difficult when just traveling through a foreign country. So they basically financially blackmail us to stay on the train in pain and also extrem noise in between the wagons. The DB tickets we already got were expensive already, flights were so much cheaper but not possible with the dog. So now standing here in pain and still 3 hours to go, dog is shacking, girlfriend sitting on the step at the entrance door of the train with back pain. And I am thinking about to file a police report against the DB for bodily harm and failure to provide assistance, it’s basically torture. Despite that a 11 h trip is turning into 26 hour journey, with careless staff, in an unsafe environment, basically torture. On top of this it cost me two days of pay due to not being able to work as I am self employed.

I would not recommend anyone with a sense for self preservation to travel with DB. It’s expensive and they may send you on a journey full of severe pain and starvation.

Here my reservation Nummer in case someone at the DB is interested or does not believe it really happened.
Auftragsnummer: 409947816266

It's the most embarrassing transport service that has ever been offered.
This and flixbus should be completely set on fire.

Bought first class tickets. There was only one hour our of four that was first class cabin, the rest of the trains did not have first class carriages.
The connection train got cancelled. No guidance. Alternate train went a completely different route and we ended up in dusseldorf instead of Cologne two hours late.
No way to apply for compensation on their website as I did not sign up for an account for a one off journey.

Absolutely horrid, if there’s one thing I hate in life is the German trains, 10 minutes waiting time for a passing train shouldn’t take ten minutes. Bc of that me and my friend had to wait a whole ass hour for our bus that we missed by those ten extra minutes.

Terrible train service! Train delayed from Berlin to Warsaw but much worse than that!! I am an Irish citizen of senior years and I was forced off a bus arranged by DB as there were not enough seats although they never checked others who did not have their seats at all! The rudest and most unhelpful staff I have ever enountered in all my many years of travel anywhere!

Night train :
- No bed !!!!!
- Lights ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Cold air conditionner.
- Small seats. (Flixbus one are much larger), with no space for legs.
- Full, so no way to have more space
- People loudly talking and no control.

CRAZY.
Never ever take a night train with them.
Busses are cheaper and MUCH more confortable.
This level is eiher dumbness or evil. I Mean WHO would think about keeping the lignt in a night travel ??????

I wonder with what courage the ticket inspectors come to ask for a ticket. There is no train that arrives on time, every day a lot of canceled itineraries with the usual explanation.