it was a cost—of—living measure introduced in 2023, initially atjust nine euros each. i do love a train — who doesn't? so i'm planning to take them to criss—cross the country and get a better look at the close relationship between germans and their railways. from berlin's iconic u—bahn to the incredible hanging overhead railway of the industrial west, to the makeshift island trains of the northern coast... the water, the lights — this is stunning. i'm here to see how engineering and a bit of imagination have led to a network like no other. with almost 40,000km of track, germany's rail network is the longest in europe, which makes it the perfect place to explore by train.