Deutsche Bahn sets 90% punctuality goal for regional trains

Deutsche Bahn has set itself a new goal of 90 percent punctuality for regional rail. What percentage of regional trains are currently on time?

DB sets new punctuality goal

Deutsche Bahn's punctuality is infamous. However, delays are a much bigger problem on long-distance IC and ICE trains than on regional transport. In fact, in April 2026, Deutsche Bahn’s regional trains had a 89,1 percent punctuality rate. 

But the German national rail provider is looking to improve its services, and has set a goal of 90 percent punctuality for regional trains, but it's not yet clear when the deadline is to reach this new goal.

Head of DB’s regional transport subsidiary DB Regio, Harmen van Zijderveld, told the dpa the rail operator would try “to stop the downward trend quickly”. 

How punctual are DB’s long-distance trains at the moment?

There’s still much room for improvement when it comes to long-distance trains. In April 2026, 64,4 percent of long-distance trains were on time. However, long-distance “passenger punctuality” rates sat at 70 percent.

This means that 70 percent of passengers arrived at their final destination on time or had a delay of less than 15 minutes in April 2026. Deutsche Bahn says passenger punctuality paints a more accurate picture of people’s experience when travelling with Deutsche Bahn, as the figures also account for missed connections due to delays.

Construction should bring improvements late in the year

Speaking to the dpa, van Zijderveld said that by the end of this year, Deutsche Bahn passengers will be able to notice improvements from extensive construction work currently underway across the national network.

In 2025, Deutsche Bahn allocated 19,9 billion euros for around 26.000 construction projects. Around 23 billion euros was allocated for work in 2026. 

If you’ve ever been hanging around on the platform wondering how it all came to this, head to our article Why are Deutsche Bahn trains always delayed? for the backstory.