DB to run fewer trains across Germany until August 6 due to heatwave

As Germany braces for temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees, Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will run fewer services between July 29 and August 6. 

DB adopts new heatwave strategy

During the late-June heatwave, high temperatures put Deutsche Bahn infrastructure, trains, and employees under pressure, resulting in technical faults that led to delays, stranded passengers, short-notice cancellations, and freight trains being blocked.

“Train transport should be more reliable during extreme heat,” Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB InfraGO said in a press release. The national rail company has announced a new heatwave strategy: running fewer trains. 

DB InfraGO said running fewer trains meant “greater likelihood that remaining services would run reliably” and that passengers would be informed “in good time and transparently” about which trains were cancelled.

“In future, we will take a more proactive approach when heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees are forecast,” DB InfraGO head Philipp Nagl said. “When such forecasts are issued, we will advise railway operators in advance to reduce services as necessary. This is the only way to ensure the stability of the system as a whole.” 

Which trains are affected?

This week, Deutsche Bahn will apply this heatwave strategy across all federal states. From July 29 it will apply in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. From July 30, it will also apply in all remaining federal states.

Deutsche Bahn and local transport associations will decide which services will be cut back, so it is best to check with your local transport association to see how trains in your region are impacted.

It is also worth noting that two local transport associations, Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund and Arverio Bayern, have already said they will run trains as normal over the next few days.