Deutsche Bahn's punctuality crisis worsens as delays surge in 2024

Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services have seen a sharp decline in punctuality this year. The percentage of trains running on time fell steadily from spring to early summer. In April, 64.4% of long-distance trains arrived on schedule. This met the company’s internal target of 61.9%.

By May, the figure had dropped to 61.1%. The downward trend continued into June, when more than half of all services faced significant delays. Punctuality then fell below 50%, with fewer than half of long-distance trains arriving on time. The decline in performance marks a clear deterioration in service reliability. Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance network struggled to maintain its own punctuality standards by the start of summer.