Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. an outage
    • ex. The train system had a major outage because of the heavy rain.
  2. a voucher
    • ex. The flight was delayed, so the airline gave us a voucher for a free meal at the airport.
  3. stabilize
    • ex. The engineers worked all night to stabilize the broken bridge.
  4. a shutdown
    • ex. The factory had a temporary shutdown for repairs.
  5. technical
    • ex. The website is not working right now due to a technical problem.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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One evening in June, trains in Germany stopped because of a problem with the railway communication system. Thousands of passengers could not continue their trips. Germany’s national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, said the problem affected the GSM-R communication system. This system lets train drivers and control centers communicate. About two and a half hours after the outage started, the company announced that the problem had been fixed. Train services gradually returned to normal.

During the outage, trains stayed at stations while travelers waited in long lines for information. Deutsche Bahn gave taxi and hotel vouchers to passengers and allowed people to remain on some trains while they waited. Traveler Reyna Ghoshal said she and a friend booked a bus because railway staff could not say when trains would run again.

The company later said it had found the reason for the problem, but did not explain what it was. Deutsche Bahn’s CEO, Evelyn Palla, said an emergency system helped stabilize the railway network. Germany has experienced many train delays in recent years, but shutdowns across the country have usually happened because of storms rather than technical failures.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Train Problems and Delays

  • Germany has experienced many train delays and shutdowns in recent years. What do you think of having these kinds of transport problems? Discuss.
  • Are train or public transport problems common in your city or local area? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you do when there are train problems and delays? Discuss.

How the Railway Company Manages Problems

  • The railway company found the reason for the problem but did not explain it to the public. Do you think it is okay for a company to keep this information secret? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The company gave out taxi and hotel room vouchers, and a place to stay and wait for the passengers. Do you think this is enough to make them feel better? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How do railway or public transport companies in your country manage train problems? Discuss.