The eastbound California Zephyr that left California on the 5th is way late.

[DFW]

5. 21 hours late? Where do they think they are, anyway? Germany?

Decades ago, German trains were the envy of Europe. They were kept in excellent repair, and had enviable punctuality.

That is a bygone era. Now, they skimp on repairs, lack personnel, and have miserable relations with the unions, one of which is led by an old-fashioned East German with an Ulbricht accent who talks like an old time East German bureaucrat. He like TV interviews and seeing his name in the headlines. He doesn't care about much else, especially working passengers who had been encouraged for decades to be both environmentally and financially prudent, and take public transportation.

Two days ago, I was supposed to travel from Karlsruhe in southern Germany home to Düsseldorf. Though I left Karlsruhe on time at 14:00, everything after that was late or canceled, and I had to change four times just to make a two and a half hour trip that ended up taking five hours.

Countries that have trains, and in Europe and North America, that's all of them, need to be prioritizing their repair, use and technological improvement--constantly. In France, discussions are underway to phase out domestic flights altogether if the train service can be fast enough and reliable enough to replace the planes. I'm not sure they'll get there, but the fact that it's even under discussion is a step in the right direction.