Life is intervening, again. The last few weeks have been a right thumper of an exam session because all the tutors decided that with the half-year report due very soon, they need to have a test at the same time, so I’ve been doing lots of revision, amongst other things about an hour of maths each night which is not very exciting blogging material, hence lack of posts, and replies to comments.
I’ve been feeling slightly guilty for a while about this post giving the impression that our local transport system was run by incompetents or possibly monkeys and that isn’t the case. (Having grown up in the UK I have experience of a transport system run by incompetents, or as they are known ‘politicians’. I think monkeys could do better) so in the interests of balance here is a ‘normal’ commute home.
When things are working, the last lesson finishes about ten minutes before the train and gives plenty of time to walk to he station. Even better the German rail system runs proper trains with class 143 locomtives with double deck push-pull trains made by (I think) Bombardier.
The novelty of being on a top deck coach will never wear off. Bay seating fortunately hasn’t gone out of fashion in Germany.
Large amounts of bike space and a massive disabled privy downstairs. The things I photograph for you, honestly. This is in the driving coach (Driving Van Trailer in UK parlance). In the UK these are kept as luggage vans but in Germany they are a bit more relaxed about this.
Cavernous bike and push chair (stroller) friendly doors. Loco hauled trains have a future here: DB has ordered some sets of double deck coaches and locomotives to work local services as push-pull trains, so hopefully there will be real trains around for some time yet.
Off train and on to bus which leaves exactly six minutes later. The bus takes longer to cover the next five kilometres than the train needed for 20, but saves me cycling 200 vertical metres so we’ll gloss over that. I can get off at the next village to ours and comfortably ride the last few kilometres straight over the fields, while the bus goes off on a tour of local landmarks, so I save about ten to fifteen minutes and I can start on assignments fresh and awake from the ride.
I don’t of course: I faff about and end up trying to solve maths problems when I’m half asleep before rushing to get ready for the next day, but never mind.
Half year reports are coming next week, so the pressure should let off for a bit.
Those double decker coaches are superb. They have a much higher capacity than single deck coaches but are only around two foot higher.
I read the other day that the locomotives like the one in your photo, the old East German class BR143, are becoming quite reduced in numbers
You can take the bike on a bus?
Thanks for the comments…
Simon: They are great fun to travel in too. I guess the extra capacity helps as we can use some of it for bikes; that said trains here even with double deck coaches are often pretty full: I took the picture above early afternoon.
Not suprised that Br 143 is being reduced. The design was chosen as the new standard for political reasons after reunification as much as operational ones and it wasn’t as fast as DB would have liked.
Phil: Some of the time: busses here have big doors halfway along the body and a large open space for wheelchairs and pushchairs directly opposite so they are quite capable of taking a bike. Most carry then only off peak though, so I leave my commuter bike up in the next village and travel the rest of the way by public transport.