The conductor of Bergedorf

We make an unscheduled stop at Hamburg-Bergedorf.

Not because of a technical fault. Not because of an emergency.

Because DB had run out of toilet paper. The conductor explained that the ICE from Sylt to Berlin had not been stocked before departure. What to do?

He stopped the ICE at Bergedorf, ran to a nearby supermarket, and bought new toilet paper for the passengers.

You can smile at that. You can roll your eyes and wonder how something like this can happen to the railway at all.

I take something different from this story.

Organisations don't run on manuals and processes alone. They run because people take ownership, find pragmatic solutions, and don't hide behind job descriptions.

These are exactly the people we encounter every day — often without noticing.

Thank you to every train attendant and conductor who, with commitment, improvisation, and patience, makes our journeys work even when the system makes it hard for them.

Headlines usually belong to the problems.

Today, my recognition belongs to the people who solve them.