EM 2024 - The railroads wanted to make the European Championships a sustainable tournament - and failed spectacularly
Ronald Koeman had every reason to be displeased. The Dutch trainer couldn't be satisfied with his team's performance, which had lost 2:3 against Austria and finished third in the group. And to make matters worse, Koeman and his players faced a long journey back to their EM quarters in Wolfsburg.
Oranje had planned to travel between Berlin, the game venue, and Wolfsburg by train. However, the train journey on the return trip, following the early Tuesday evening match, was not possible. The last ICE connection had departed at 21:26. "Germany is trying to stage a sustainable European championship. But they can't manage it," grumbled Koeman. The Dutch team was forced to travel three hours by bus instead of the planned 90 minutes by train.
EM 2024: German Railways admit problems
The Dutch coach is not the only one suffering from the German Railways during the European championship. The championship was supposed to be environmentally friendly in terms of transportation, with discounted tickets and 10,000 additional seats offered daily. However, the high expectations were not met. Instead, the railway caused frustration, as it often does in everyday life, during the EM.
"We understand the anger and criticism from fans. The railway does not currently offer the quality that everyone deserves. At the same time, we are doing everything to reliably get passengers to their destinations," said Bahn-Vorstand and Long-Distance Rail CEO Michael Peterson to "Bild."
The chaos on the rails regularly causes frustration, dampening the festive mood during the EM in Germany. This applies not only to professionals and organizers but also to ordinary fans. Fans from Austria went viral on social media with a video expressing their frustration on their way to the group match against the Netherlands because their journey was not trouble-free.
Philipp Lahm also arrived late
Even tournament organizer Philipp Lahm is not spared the annoyances of public long-distance transport. The former Bayern professional follows a different approach than Franz Beckenbauer in 2006: Instead of flying by helicopter from venue to venue like the Kaiser, Lahm travels by train. Lahm was also the driving force behind the idea of a sustainable tournament.
At the match between Slovakia and Ukraine, Lahm encountered problems with the train and missed a television interview in the Duesseldorf stadium as a result. "We are in contact with the German Railway, they will continue to do everything to ensure that people really arrive on time from A to B," commented Lahm on his delay. "But the current problems that are occurring during the tournament are not a problem for me. They should have addressed these issues much earlier." The problems were "frustrating, especially for fans who take long journeys and spend a lot of money on it." Lahm made it clear that he would remain a "loyal railway customer."
Others have less faith. The Turkish national team decided against traveling from Hannover to Hamburg for their last group match against the Czech Republic by train. Instead, they opted for the plane for the 150-kilometer journey.
- The Dutch coach, Ronald Koeman, is not the only one experiencing issues with German Railways during the European Championship.
- Philipp Lahm, the tournament organizer, also encountered problems with the train, resulting in a missed television interview at a match between Slovakia and Ukraine.
- The high expectations for an environmentally friendly tournament with discounted tickets and additional seats offered daily have not been met, causing frustration during the EM.
- Fans from Austria went viral on social media expressing their frustration on their journey to a group match against the Netherlands due to problems on the railways.
