Can Germany still do winter?

Cold spell reveals deep flaws in country's infrastructure + Merz in India + saving Greenland

Dear Reader,

For anyone living in Germany, there has been little doubt in recent days that winter has arrived in earnest. A severe cold snap driven by the winter storm “Elli” swept across the country late last week, bringing snow and ice and pushing temperatures well into the double-digit negatives.

These days, such prolonged Arctic blasts are increasingly rare. Still, the almost inevitable disruption that followed led to questions about whether Germany’s rundown infrastructure is resilient enough to face a few snow flakes.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) suspended several long-distance routes in northern and central Germany, while trains that did run were subject to speed restrictions due to ice on the tracks — triggering delays, missed connections and widespread frustration.

“In my childhood, we called that winter,” one stranded passenger noted dryly in conversation with Web.de.

Even Berlin, spared the worst of the cold, saw significant disruption on the S-Bahn network, which is operated by DB. Beyo…