Another year and even more delays. In 2024, over a third of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services didn’t arrive on time, more than in 2023.
German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn has revealed that just 62,5 percent of the company’s ICE and IC long-distance trains arrived at their destination on time in 2024.
A Deutsche Bahn long-distance train is considered “on time” when it arrives at its destination no more than six minutes after the scheduled arrival time.
Deutsche Bahn’s punctuality has been worsening consistently for over a decade. In 2023, 64 percent of long-distance trains arrived on time, compared to 81,8 percent in 2020, the most punctual arrival times in 15 years.
Delays on regional train services were less consistent than on long-distance services. In 2024, 90,3 percent of Regionalbahn services arrived on time.
Germany’s degrading track network is often cited as the main reason for consistent and worsening delays. The rail company has now planned the largest infrastructure overhaul in its history, which includes completely renovating 40 routes and is estimated to cost 45 billion euros.
But with Germany now weeks away from a snap federal election and a 2025 budget yet to be decided, it is still unknown which coalition constellation will allocate the next budget and how much money will be set aside for Deutsche Bahn’s planned renovations.
Funding or not, the outgoing traffic light coalition has increased pressure on Deutsche Bahn to improve punctuality by 2027. In light of a DB report which admitted “Timetables are no longer calculated, but only estimated,” outgoing Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said in September 2024 that he would monitor the company’s punctuality efforts more closely and be personally informed if targets were missed.
Deutsche Bahn has since drawn up a 110-page plan to improve punctuality, but critics point out that its goals are largely the same as those set five years ago to be achieved by 2024. The action plan includes introducing more commuter connections, redesigning the regional network, using more ICE trains, reducing turnaround times and expanding international services.
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