Transport in Germany

With estimated 81.8 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union and ranks as the 15th largest country in the world in terms of population. Therefore, and with a developed economy, Germany has a dense and modern transportation infrastructure.

As I could see, public transport is excellent. The German rail network is comfortable, reliable and fast. All major cities feature impressive public transport systems. Subway, tram and buses assure reliable transportation. The trains don't stop working at night, and there often exists a network of night buses, all cheaper alternatives to taking a taxi. Almost all the places I've been have designated bicycle lanes which encourages people to grab their bikes and go out. Punctuality is a matter of first order in the majority of cases, although some buses I took were tardy because of road repairs. The train stations are actually modern buildings with sophisticated designs, but above all the are functional.

Germans are known to be a nation of car lovers. Hence, Germany boasts an excellent road network. However, I don't want you to think I am in the perfect world: one way streets and traffic jams often take the enjoyment out of the journey, and if there is anything I really learned here is to be patient... getting from a small town to other one often takes rattling a lot of time, not because the means of transport are slow, but because you have to wait long until you can make a connection between bus, train and subway.

What about prices? Well, I have to say moving is very expensive. So you can make a comparison, a ticket for one bus trip cost a little more than three beers in a disco. Another example... The same amount of money I pay monthly for my telephone fee is about two bus tickets. That is really dear. However, you can draw cards to move around a particular region for a low cost, and the good thing is that you can choose between bus, train, subway or tram with the same card, provided you move within your region.

What you can see on this photo is such a train in a city called Wuppertal. This particular flying train was built aloft because the city was already established when they wanted to set the rails and they didn't find any free space. So, the answer came from the river: as seen, the railroad tracks were installed on a structure on the river and there were no more space problem. Can you imagine the cost of that technology? And it works for an only one city! Now you are able to understand a bit the real meaning when I say the words: developed country.