One thing you'll notice when traveling by train in Germany is the abundance of abbreviations used for different types of trains. It can be somewhat confusing at first. There are codes like IC for InterCity, ICE for InterCityExpress, EC for EuroCity, EN for EuroNight. Those are all long-distance trains that only stop in major cities and travel at high speeds.

Abbreviations are also used in regional rail transport: RE stands for RegionalExpress (within a region), and RB is for RegionalBahn (stops at all stations in a region and is somewhat slower). Millions of commuters use regional trains every day. They run frequently but offer fewer amenities and there is no guarantee that a seat will be empty.

Even though trains are often full at rush hour, only 13 percent of commuters in Germany use public transportation to get to work, according to a 2020 survey. Two-thirds drive to work – even for short distances. Public transportation, when operating at full capacity, is more climate-friendly than automobiles. But getting from A to B usually takes longer by bus and train than by car. In addition, delays and train cancellations deter some commuters. In 2019, every fourth long-distance train operated by Deutsche Bahn was delayed. Nonetheless, trains are considered punctual if they are delayed by less than six minutes. There is still a long way to go toward transitioning to more sustainable mobility.