Transportation Deutsche Bahn is more unpunctual than it has been for over 20 years
Deutsche Bahn is more unpunctual than it has been for at least 21 years. Last year, 37.5 percent of long-distance trains were more than 6 minutes late.
03.01.2025, 15:59
SDA
62.5 percent of ICE and IC trains were on time, as a company spokesperson told the news agency DPA on Friday. On request, Deutsche Bahn provided figures going back to 2003. Previously, the lowest value had been 64 percent punctuality in 2023 after 65.2 percent the year before. The best value was 84.3 percent in 2004.
"80 percent of all delays in long-distance transport are due to the outdated, fault-prone and overloaded infrastructure," said the spokesperson.
According to the definition, a stop is on time if the train is less than 6:00 minutes late. In regional transport, this was the case for 90.3 percent of trains - compared to 91.0 percent in 2023.
Major refurbishment program
At the same time, the spokesperson referred to Deutsche Bahn's current refurbishment program. By 2030, the Group intends to fundamentally renovate 41 busy corridors. The railroad started in 2024 with the section between Frankfurt and Mannheim - the so-called Riedbahn.
The general refurbishments are also intended to ensure more punctual trains. "DB wants to increase the punctuality of ICE and IC trains to 75 to 80 percent by the end of 2027," said the spokesperson.
However, in a recent interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the Deutsche Bahn manager responsible, Philipp Nagl, dampened passengers' hopes that the Riedbahn refurbishment would have a rapid and broad impact on long-distance services. The effect on local transport will be noticeable. But the 70 kilometers would not change the world now.
Deutsche Bahn has invested almost 17 billion euros in infrastructure in 2024, said the CEO of rail infrastructure company InfraGo. That is more than it has been for years. "If we continue to invest at this level over the next two or three years, then the effects will be felt across the entire network."
Deutsche Bahn must pay high compensation
The constant delays on long-distance services not only get on the nerves of many customers, but also cost Deutsche Bahn a lot of money. Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz recently told the "Tagesspiegel" that "a clear three-digit million amount" would be due for compensation to passengers in 2024.
DB was particularly unpunctual in June. In that month, almost every second train was late. The punctuality rate was 52.9 percent.
Because the European Football Championships also began that month, Deutsche Bahn became a laughing stock abroad. Both fans and teams felt the effects of the train's unreliability.
The Dutch team, for example, had to travel to the semi-finals by plane instead of train at short notice due to a delay of more than two hours. At the beginning of the tournament, hundreds of Austrian fans were temporarily stranded in Bavaria because a construction site was not completed on time as planned. Tournament boss Philipp Lahm missed the kick-off of a match in the group stage due to train problems.
