Climate activist Greta Thunberg found out on Saturday why so many travelers in Germany complain about the train service.
Thunberg tweeted a picture of herself sitting on the vestibule floor of an overcrowded Deutsche Bahn train on her way home to Sweden from the UN climate conference in Madrid.
In a country famous for punctuality and efficiency, Germany’s rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, has a bad reputation for late, canceled and overcrowded trains.
The post was viewed thousands of times in a few hours, and disgruntled train travelers joined her in commiseration.
Thunberg has not been home in Sweden since August, and during that time she has crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice by sailboat and has refused to fly because of air travel’s negative impact on the environment.
In 2019, Deutsche Bahn introduced a new online booking system that warns customers which trains are expected to be packed. However, the warning system has been criticized for its accuracy, with empty trains having been reported full and packed trains shown having space.