GERMAN COMEDY fans howled when a character in "The Big Bang Theory", a nerdy sitcom, likened the regularity of his bowel movements to a "German train schedule". Scatology will always be welcome in Germany. But it was the absurdity of the comparison that stood out. Last year one-quarter of Deutsche Bahn's long-distance services were late. Commuters are resigned to delays, missed connections and overcrowded carriages. Surprisingly to many, among Europeans only Romanian, Bulgarian and Italian passengers are unhappier with their trains. "It's very frustrating," says Luise Maudanz, a project manager. After regular cancellations on the Berlin-Munich line last year, she started flying instead.
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