DB improves punctuality of trains to Zurich

Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have said that new measures to improve the punctuality of trains connecting Stuttgart and Zurich have been successful.

SBB was fed up with DB delays

In 2025, 94,1 percent of trains in Switzerland were on time, while Deutsche Bahn had a punctuality rate of 60,1 percent. Deutsche Bahn’s performance has long been a thorn in SBB’s side, since the national rail companies run joint services between Germany and Switzerland. 

In July 2025, Deutsche Bahn and SBB decided that delays caused by construction work on the Gäubahn, the route between Stuttgart and Zurich, were too disruptive. The companies announced that severely delayed incoming Deutsche Bahn trains may be blocked at the border in Singen.

SBB said it would run a separate replacement service on the Swiss section of the line between Schaffhausen and Zurich, ensuring Swiss passengers still had a reliable connection between the two Swiss cities.

DB pulled its socks up

Less than a year later, Deutsche Bahn and SBB have declared their decision a semi-success. Since December 2025, over 80 percent of Deutsche Bahn trains between Stuttgart and Zurich have been on time. This amounts to a 20 percent increase in punctuality. As such, the national rail companies have decided the new system will continue in 2026. 

With Deutsche Bahn carrying out much-needed renovation projects across the German rail network, things are expected to worsen before they improve. The number of construction sites across the track network will increase from 26.000 to 28.000 in 2026. 

Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla says the construction works should ultimately reduce delays, but passengers must be patient and may not see overall service improvements until 2027.