Federal Railway
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Federal Railway
The name of the former state railway company of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) until the railway reform of 1994. The term is sometimes still used colloquially today for Deutsche Bahn AG.
Mein Großvater war noch bei der alten Bundesbahn als Lokführer angestellt.
My grandfather was still employed as a train driver at the old Federal Railway.
The word is made up of 'Bundes-' (federal, belonging to the federation) and 'Bahn' (railway). So it literally means 'federal railway'.
Früher war die Bundesbahn einer der größten Arbeitgeber in Deutschland.
In the past, the Federal Railway was one of the largest employers in Germany.
'Die Bundesbahn' (the Federal Railway) is a historical name for the state railway of West Germany before 1994. Today the company is called 'Deutsche Bahn AG', but the old name is sometimes still used out of habit or in a nostalgic context.
Meine Eltern sind früher immer mit der Bundesbahn in den Urlaub gefahren.
My parents used to always travel on vacation by Federal Railway.
When traveling with it, you use the preposition 'mit' (with): 'mit der Bundesbahn fahren' (to travel by Federal Railway). When working there, you use 'bei' (at/for): 'bei der Bundesbahn arbeiten' (to work for the Federal Railway).
Wir sind damals mit der Bundesbahn nach Italien gereist.
Back then, we traveled to Italy by Federal Railway.
train / track
'die Bahn' and 'die Bundesbahn' can both have to do with train travel in Germany. 'Bahn' is the normal general word today for a train, S-Bahn, subway, or the railway system. 'Bundesbahn', on the other hand, is mainly the name of the former state railway company in West Germany until 1994. Some people still say 'Bundesbahn' colloquially but mean today's Deutsche Bahn. This can be confusing. In current everyday situations, 'Bahn' is almost always more natural; 'Bundesbahn' fits especially when talking about the earlier period.
Mein Großvater hat früher bei der Bundesbahn gearbeitet.
My grandfather used to work for the Federal Railway.
Zur Arbeit fahre ich meistens mit der Bahn.
I usually take the train to work.