There many things DB can improve on. But I think they have a good coverage with modern and clean trains. They are often late, but I think it's also really hard to run a punctual train network with a country of this size in the middle of Europe, where you also need to consider all neighboring countries that have an effect on your planning and so on (a constraint, for example, that Japan doesn't have).
Sure, for example SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) is more punctual, but the complexity is also much lower due to the country size. Also mind that the Swiss just don't let DB trains into the country when they're late more than ~ 30 min.
Price: I think dynamic pricing is fine, but the range is crazy. If you book ahead of time, you can get from Hamburg to Zurich for like € 30 (8 hour trip). You'll pay double that to go from Hamburg to Berlin (2 hour trip) if you book like one day before departure. But I think on average the prices are not too high. Consider that you can go to every major city in the country within 8 hours for less than € 50 if you plan ahead 1-2 weeks, in a clean train with a nice board bistro.
Wifi: Yes, it sucks.
I take the ICEs often for long distance rides. My strategy: Plan with up to 60 min delay (especially important if you need to change trains) and don't schedule calls or tasks that require a good internet connection. With this two tricks and the right mindset you'll be fine!
But not a single ounce of reliability to be found among them.
> but I think it's also really hard to run a punctual train network with a country of this size in the middle of Europe
If it was just the punctuallity. However they can't even notify people of delays correctly. Just to take the most obvious example to ever exist: Last year the entire state of Bavaria got snowed in, most predictions put restoration of rail travel at around a week. For the first day the DB app reported cancellations one hour in advance, the following days it used a 12 hour window to cancel trains. At no point did they bother to put a realistic "don't bother we wont even get to your station for the next 5 days" anywhere on the app. The event may have been an outlier but them failing to anounce cancellations when they become aware of an issue is systematic, worst case you wont be aware that your train wont make it anywhere is when the conductors start handing out complaint forms the moment the train leaves the station. The entire DB is a clown show without equal.
There many things DB can improve on. But I think they have a good coverage with modern and clean trains. They are often late, but I think it's also really hard to run a punctual train network with a country of this size in the middle of Europe, where you also need to consider all neighboring countries that have an effect on your planning and so on (a constraint, for example, that Japan doesn't have).
Sure, for example SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) is more punctual, but the complexity is also much lower due to the country size. Also mind that the Swiss just don't let DB trains into the country when they're late more than ~ 30 min.
Price: I think dynamic pricing is fine, but the range is crazy. If you book ahead of time, you can get from Hamburg to Zurich for like € 30 (8 hour trip). You'll pay double that to go from Hamburg to Berlin (2 hour trip) if you book like one day before departure. But I think on average the prices are not too high. Consider that you can go to every major city in the country within 8 hours for less than € 50 if you plan ahead 1-2 weeks, in a clean train with a nice board bistro.
Wifi: Yes, it sucks.
I take the ICEs often for long distance rides. My strategy: Plan with up to 60 min delay (especially important if you need to change trains) and don't schedule calls or tasks that require a good internet connection. With this two tricks and the right mindset you'll be fine!