Meanwhile, Spain is constantly expanding the high speed network, second in the world after china, with excellent punctuality, and not fixating on speed records.
E.g., I found it very irritiating that Renfe Cercanias commuter rail doesn’t have a real-time time table. Hence, any trip-planning apps will completely ignore commuter rail.
This kind of head-ache doesn’t exist in Germany, as DB and the various regional operators have integrated trip planning and you can plan a trip right from the bus stop across from your home to the metro station next to the hotel in another city, often even if that city is in France or Switzerland.
It’s great that there is an app, but I am obviously not going to install a Madrid-only app as a tourist who may only need a single train. I just noticed that Google Maps does allow planning integrated trips too which I missed because I avoid Google services usually, so they’re not as present on my mind. (But at least Google Maps is available as website too.)
Renfe itself somehow does not offer a way to plan a trip or book a ticket that integrates high-speed rail and commuter rail. Nor do they appear to be able to sell TGV tickets, as all I see on their booking site are AVE and Avant trains.
In comparison, in Germany, I can book trains from any German operator through the bahn.de website and book tickets into neighboring countries, even including TGV trains to Brussels or Paris.
Granted, Germany is nowhere near perfect, and Trainline as a third party still does a lot more, especially when you’re traveling through more than 2 countries, but even they can’t offer Cercanias. And really, why is there no way to just book any train/tram/bus in any EU from any EU country?
Meanwhile, Spain is constantly expanding the high speed network, second in the world after china, with excellent punctuality, and not fixating on speed records.
Please don’t compare our Rail to that of other countries, seeing it alone is already humiliating enough
The Spanish system has different issues though.
E.g., I found it very irritiating that Renfe Cercanias commuter rail doesn’t have a real-time time table. Hence, any trip-planning apps will completely ignore commuter rail.
This kind of head-ache doesn’t exist in Germany, as DB and the various regional operators have integrated trip planning and you can plan a trip right from the bus stop across from your home to the metro station next to the hotel in another city, often even if that city is in France or Switzerland.
Yeah, no. I use real time apps daily. That you are unable to find them only speaks to your inability to find them.
Here is an example.
Anyway. Germany may have real time apps, but you can’t plan anything as the timetables don’t match real time.
I’d rather have less “real time” apps if the trains adhere to schedule.
It’s great that there is an app, but I am obviously not going to install a Madrid-only app as a tourist who may only need a single train. I just noticed that Google Maps does allow planning integrated trips too which I missed because I avoid Google services usually, so they’re not as present on my mind. (But at least Google Maps is available as website too.)
Renfe itself somehow does not offer a way to plan a trip or book a ticket that integrates high-speed rail and commuter rail. Nor do they appear to be able to sell TGV tickets, as all I see on their booking site are AVE and Avant trains.
In comparison, in Germany, I can book trains from any German operator through the bahn.de website and book tickets into neighboring countries, even including TGV trains to Brussels or Paris.
Granted, Germany is nowhere near perfect, and Trainline as a third party still does a lot more, especially when you’re traveling through more than 2 countries, but even they can’t offer Cercanias. And really, why is there no way to just book any train/tram/bus in any EU from any EU country?
I have not made any comment about Germany. My comment is about DB. Tell me about DB. We are not talking about apps.