Gabriel Kelly about his 13-hour train ride: an environmental protection dilemma!

Gabriel Kelly about his 13-hour train ride: an environmental protection dilemma!

Greifswald, Deutschland - What happened on the train? The musician Gabriel Kelly, known as the son of Angelo Kelly, told of a surprisingly long train journey from Hamburg to Greifswald. His 13-hour trip started on time at 12 p.m. and only ended at 1 a.m. A true adventure that not only cost nerves, but also put the traveler's environmental awareness to the test. Kelly originally had the hope of getting to the destination quickly from Berlin to Greifswald, but it quickly became clear to him that Deutsche Bahn had to deal with challenges that many travelers know too well. About Ostsee Zeitung reported) Kelly ironically: "I am to blame for being driven by Deutsche Bahn."

The reasons for Kelleys long trip are diverse. Train failures and rail replacement traffic made quick transport impossible and extended its journey by two additional hours. In the meantime, he could have covered the route by car in just two and a half hours. Nevertheless, Kelly decided massively for the train to travel more environmentally friendly. Although he connects his preference for the train with positive aspects such as planned conversations and listening to music, this special experience was anything but pleasant for him.

The location of the train: A look at the failures

Kelleys anecdote is not an isolated case. The number of unusual long -distance trains has quadrupled in the past five years. According to a current response from the Ministry of Transport, cited by Tagesschau, the proportion of unusual trips in long-distance traffic rose from 1% in 2019 to 4% in 2024. This share was 5% last year. Many experts see the dilapidated infrastructure as the main cause of this development. Matthias Gastel, MP of the Greens, commented concerns about the insufficient maintenance and late vehicle deprivation that leads to the many failures.

The numbers are alarming: In 2024 there were over 13,600 unusual trips in long -distance transport. Exceptively, more than 60 percent of these failures are due to external causes such as industrial straces. In January, for example, almost half of the train cancellations could be attributed to strikes in connection with tariff conflicts. However, train travelers are usually informed about such failures at an early stage - a small ray of hope in the often cloudy reality of rail traffic.

changes in the passenger number

The train journey is a common means of transportation, but the popularity is decreasing: in 2023 around 1.8 billion passengers traveled, which is significantly below the values ​​of 2019. The reasons for this are the sale of the DB subsidiary DB Arriva and challenges in customer acquisition. Despite these difficulties, the efforts to double the transport performance by 2030 to reduce emissions can be found in full swing, as on Statista. VAT cuts for rail tickets in 2020 could not stabilize the ticket prices, and prices have risen again since 2021.

While Deutsche Bahn and its infrastructure are facing major challenges, Gabriel Kelly remains optimistic about rail travel. His journey may have been long and exhausting, but in his heart he continues to strive for environmentally friendly mobility, even if the 13-hour ride did not make it easy for him. Let's be excited to see how the situation will develop in rail traffic and whether future trips will be more pleasant for Kelly and other rail travelers.