Germany

Deutsche Bahn AG, or GermanRail, operates more than 25,000 miles of the unified rail networks of the former East and West Germany. Changing trains in Germany is a snap. In many cities, platforms are designed in such a way that the train you need to transfer to may be standing immediately across the platform from the train in which you arrive. The new Hauptbahnhof Station is centrally located in Berlin, only a few blocks from the Reichstag. The Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (main rail station) is impressive. There are 14 Gleise (tracks). Gleise 1 to 4 serve the S-Bahn, the suburban rail service; Gleise 5 to 14 are for regular train service. Most InnerCity Express (ICE) trains glide in and out of the Hauptbahnhof on Gleise 13 and 14. Munich has several suburban stations, but most international trains stop only at the Hauptbahnhof. GermanRail accepts the variety of Eurail passes and GermanRail passes. © 2009, The Globe Pequot Press, LaVerne Ferguson-Kosinski Information by Europe by Eurail