Construction sites and a lot of traffic are also causing problems for the railways.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin The punctuality of Deutsche Bahn continues to decline. In June, only 58 percent of long-distance trains reached their destination on time, as the company announced on Friday. In regional transport it was 88.5 percent. Both are the weakest monthly values since the end of 2010. At that time, masses of snow and freezing rain at Christmas brought traffic to a standstill in places.
According to the company, construction sites and a lot of traffic are causing problems today. “Intense construction activity throughout the DB network and the very high utilization of central rail routes by passenger and freight trains continue to have a negative impact on punctuality,” said a spokesman.
In addition, the large rush caused by the 9-euro ticket means that regional trains often cannot depart on time. With the promotional ticket, passengers can use local public transport throughout Germany for a month. The campaign started in June. The ticket is also available for July and August. Punctuality in regional transport therefore fell dramatically: from 98.3 percent in May to 88.5 percent now.
Many passengers are demanding compensation for the delays. The railways did not want to give any figures. For days, however, the service center has been referring to a significantly increased number of applications on its website. “Therefore, there may be delays and longer processing times in individual cases.”
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If you arrive at your destination at least an hour late, you can have a quarter of the fare reimbursed. From two hours it is half the fare. Passengers can apply for this using a paper form, the Deutsche Bahn website or the DB Navigator app.
According to Deutsche Bahn definition, stops with a delay of less than six minutes are on time. A few weeks ago, CEO Richard Lutz set the goal of achieving 80 percent punctuality in long-distance transport this year. In the meantime, the railway is well below the previous year’s value of 75 percent.
From the perspective of Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), the German rail network has been neglected for years. He has announced that he will make modernization a top priority and control it in his ministry. A general renovation of central network sections is planned from 2024.
Wissing said at the presentation in June: “I expect that in the future we will be able to set the clock by the train again.” He not only has the passengers in mind, but also the economy. In the industry there has been dissatisfaction with the railways for months because freight trains are also delayed.
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