We didn’t stop in Emmerich. Did they “forget” to tell the border police that we are not rerouted any more?

The train still insists to stop in Den Bosch next even as we are pulling into Duisburg.

My plan was to change in Duisburg to ICE 625 which starts in Essen and should be rather quiet. However, it only starts in Düsseldorf today due to “delay from previous journey” and “technical difficulties with the train.”

Now, do I risk it and change in Düsseldorf or bite the bullet and use the very busy train I am already on to Frankfurt Airport?

Let’s risk it. The new passengers are already very annoying.

The leading unit is a 406.* Wish me luck!

* The previous generation of trains doing the Amsterdam and Brussel services with lots of issues.

Something’s up on the high-speed line. We’re currently stopped in Montabaur and will apparently also stop in Limburg Süd. I have roughly half an hour buffer in Frankfurt. Doesn’t look good.

We’re parked in Limburg Süd now.

I don’t mind the delay too much. But that woman doing endless Zoom meetings is getting on my nerves.

Frankfurt Hbf 85 minutes late. There would be a direct connection to Leipzig, but that train is also an hour late. So now we have a train 15:02, 15:08-ish, and 15:18. The last one would be best since it goes to Dresden where I really want to go, but it is running short and is overcrowded. More decisions.

DB is having a thing here and the CTO of DB InfraGO is speaking. So, er, I have notes for you.

Sounds about right.

Since when is a 1st class Interrail not good enough for a DB lounge any more? Greedy bastids.

Someone is already sitting in the sun at the far end of the platform.

Outrageous!

I may have finally chosen poorly. I picked the delayed direct train to Leipzig after too many people wandered over to the first train. It left twenty minutes before the Dresden train, but we are now doing the Grand Tour of Frankfurt with lots of bonus stops, currently in Niederrad. Probably going to miss the connection in Leipzig, too.

This junction is called Forsthaus and you can kind of see why.

The good news is that the Dresden train is definitely behind us and has two stops more than us, so I should make it. The bad news is that it is already running 35 minutes late. It won’t be in Dresden before eight and I kind of had an appointment for seven.

All the sidings on the Fulda – Bebra line are filled with goods trains. We even had to overtake one on the left track, blocking an oncoming goods train.

The problem in Germany isn’t the state of the infrastructure, the problem are the way too many trains.

You’d always know this is Leipzig Hbf from those very unique track number light boxes.

Pretty much all of first class is reserved specifically for the Leipzig – Dresden section. Probably because while these ICEs are always busy, the parallel regional service is way worse.

Here we are, 147 minutes late, the average run time of a contemporary movie film.

Buses in Dresden have proper vehicle numbers complete with check digit and all.

Approaching the train shed with the sailcloth roof can only mean one thing: part two of this journey is about the start.