00:03All aboard!
00:04A train journey from Hamburg to Cologne.
00:07All good, we're ready to depart.
00:10Valentina Vazievich is the train manager.
00:15She works on one of 13 trains operated by FlixTrain,
00:19which is Germany's private rail company.
00:23We arrive now.
00:25First stop, Hamburg-Carburg.
00:26Exit please on the left-hand side in the direction of Kerbel.
00:28As train manager, she's responsible for the safety of around 700 passengers
00:33and there's still luggage everywhere.
00:37Hi, could you move your suitcase to the blocked-off seats?
00:40The aisle has to stay clear in case of emergency.
00:43Just put it in the two reserved seats in the back.
00:46Many EU countries have opened the door to private rail operators in recent years,
00:51including Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic.
00:54And they are turning a profit.
00:57In Germany, the EU's most populous country, FlixTrain, is on the move.
01:02The company plans to expand, launching new routes across Europe
01:06and ordering 65 new trains for 2.4 billion euros.
01:10Two major investors are backing the plan.
01:14We deeply believe in the market.
01:16It's a huge potential in Europe, even far bigger than for long-distance buses, which we do so far.
01:22And we see increasing demand, especially if it's fast and affordable.
01:26And this is where we want to position FlixTrain even more in the future.
01:30Meanwhile, Germany state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn is struggling with delays.
01:35A record 40% of old trains are late.
01:39Will the competition beat them today?
01:41The journey to Cologne is underway.
01:44But one passenger has a problem.
01:47I don't mind. We can sit somewhere else.
01:50But please, both of us together.
01:51The customer booked a double seat, but it's taken.
01:55Now the train manager has to find a replacement.
01:58And the train is nearly full.
02:02Would it be all right if you moved one seat back so these gentlemen can sit together?
02:08Yeah?
02:12They arrive at the next station.
02:14So far, the train is on time.
02:17Unlike the state-run competitor, the private operator doesn't have to wait for connecting trains.
02:24Most journeys are direct.
02:28It's a more direct network, so we have far less interconnections,
02:32because our passengers at the moment travel usually with rather zero interconnections.
02:38But Germany's rail infrastructure is outdated.
02:42Experts say there's an investment backlog of tens of billions of euros.
02:48We have a problem that the network is run down,
02:54but this is the official narrative of the German railroad,
02:58but I think they're exaggerating.
02:59Yes, there are some problems,
03:01but I think there are other problems that they don't like to talk about that much.
03:04Actually, we have the problem that the network is overburdened.
03:06We just put too many trains into the knots, and that needs to be redone.
03:12That's why the German government plans to invest over 100 billion euros in expanding the rail system,
03:19automating signal boxes and upgrading lines.
03:25Train driver Tobias Melchert operates one of the older trains.
03:30Its top speed is 200 kilometers an hour.
03:34On the route to Cologne, there are frequent delays because there aren't enough sidetracks to avoid congestion.
03:42Especially at the big stations like Hamburg or Cologne, the tracks aren't ideal.
03:46Right now, the train is still on time.
03:50The journey takes four hours.
03:52I wouldn't take it for longer trips, as the seats aren't that comfy.
03:56But for three or four hours, it's totally fine.
04:02Air conditioning is an issue.
04:03In summer, it gets pretty hot and stuffy in here.
04:07But it's all right if you're not traveling on really hot days.
04:10And it's much cheaper.
04:13Deutsche Bahn would have cost nearly 90 euros.
04:15This was 20.
04:18The interior is similar to the state-run trains.
04:22But windows have to be opened by hand.
04:24And there's usually no air conditioning.
04:27The new Flix trains are expected to have higher comfort standards.
04:32Right now, even the doors are manual.
04:36It takes a moment.
04:38The doors are pressure controlled, so they don't open right away.
04:42Germany plans to invest 10 billion euros in the rail network over the next 10 years.
04:47Meanwhile, Flix trains tickets are affordable.
04:51From the investors' perspective, that is a promising outlook.
04:57Generally speaking, there is enough tracks available for our fleet,
05:02especially with the infrastructure investment that is now going into there.
05:06I think there will be no excuse in the next couple of years
05:09if you anticipate that there are kind of more than 100 billion going into the rail network in Germany.
05:15The train arrives on time.
05:17The state-run competitor, with its 600 trains, is struggling.
05:22Flixdrain wants to take advantage of that, with around 65 new trains all running on time.
05:29And more automotive tales, next time on REV.
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