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What a nightmare for commuting on the route between Dresden and Leipzig (D). All the toilets on the RE-50 regional express recently broke.
“Should I have a urine bottle or incontinence diaper ready on the Saxonia Express in the future?” a guest later complained to “Bild”. And at the same time praised the engineer. “Thank God the driver had insight and sent us to the station toilets in Riesa.”
As the passenger said, the driver took a special bathroom break for passengers at Riese station – where commuters could relieve themselves in the platform toilets.
According to a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn, this breakdown is an exception: “The case described is isolated and the driver has found a pragmatic solution with the extended stop in Riesa.”
Trains often drive around with full toilets
Lukas Iffländer (33), “Pro Bahn” expert for Central Germany, thinks differently: “We receive many complaints from passengers about dirty and defective toilets.” Conditions in the train toilets are almost unacceptable, especially in the late afternoon and evening. Bad odors, used toilet paper on the floor and streaks of feces on the walls are the norm.
The expert explains the problem: “DB Regio can no longer keep up with maintenance. The problem increases as the number of passengers increases. Although the vacuum toilets fill up or become clogged much faster, they are only emptied once a night and remain full to the brim for a long time.” Iffländer therefore advocates more trains and shorter cleaning intervals.
More passengers and broken toilets
No wonder the capacities are quickly being exhausted. As the newspaper “Bild” reports, four trains with eight wagons each run between Leipzig and Dresden every hour. But each train only has four toilets.
How does Deutsche Bahn respond to the criticism? A spokeswoman admits that the introduction of the Deutschlandticket has led to an increase in the number of passengers and toilet defects. “The causes include vandalism and improper use. Toilets cannot be emptied due to train delays.” The spokesperson apologizes to travelers for the inconvenience. (gs)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
