Deutsche Bahn: Pünktlichkeit der Fernzüge verharrt auf niedrigem Niveau

Berlin - In September, nearly half of all long-distance trains operated by Deutsche Bahn arrived late, according to the company's latest figures. The punctuality rate for long-distance trains stood at 52.4 percent, the third-lowest monthly value of the year so far, the Deutsche Bahn reported. This was due to a high number of plant malfunctions, the company said, with ICE trains between Berlin and Wolfsburg having to travel at slower speeds due to poor track conditions on the Hannover-Berlin route, which is currently under extensive renovation and is expected to take until mid-December 2027 to complete.

Trains are rerouted through Braunschweig and Magdeburg, adding around 80 minutes to their journey between Berlin and Hannover. A train is considered late if it is delayed by six minutes or more, excluding delays due to train failures, which are instead counted in the "customer punctuality" metric. This measures the percentage of customers who arrived on time, with a maximum allowed delay of 14 minutes and 59 seconds.

The company's chief Evelyn Palla had set a punctuality target of at least 60 percent for the year, but it is already clear that this goal will not be met. Palla repeatedly emphasizes that punctuality is a problem for the railway that can only be addressed through long-term solutions. The federal-owned company is currently spending billions of euros of federal funds to overhaul dozens of heavily used routes, a process that is expected to continue well into the 2030s. Gradually, the network is meant to become more stable, with travelers arriving on time.