It's a Crummy Commute: Only 62% of German Rail's Long-Distance Trains Arrive on Time Last Month
Noteworthy Delay: Over Half of Long-Distance Trains Failed to Arrive on Time in May
Social media buzzed with disgruntled users as German Rail's long-distance trains had a rough May, falling short of the punctuality standard yet again. Just 62% of ICE and IC trains reached their destination on time, according to the company's digital chief, Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, who spoke to the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung." That's a significant drop from last year's 63.1%. The company aims to up their game and achieve a punctuality rate of 65 to 70% by 2025.
Gerd tom Markotten wasn't mincing words when she expressed her dissatisfaction with these numbers. "These figures aren't cutting it," she said. "The main culprits? Antiquated infrastructure, overcrowding, and too many faults." As a result, the rail lines are full of construction zones for network renovations, causing long-distance trains to crawl along rather than sharpening their speed.
So, what constitutes a tardy train? According to railway regulations, a train is tardy if it's delayed by six minutes or more. Cancellations aren't factored into the statistics, but they do impact the so-called passenger punctuality rate, which shows the percentage of passengers who arrived on time (with a 15-minute leeway) during a certain timeframe. April, it seems, had a better showing, boasting a 67% passenger punctuality rate. May's numbers are still up in the air.
German Rail is neck-deep in a long-term transformation—a modernization not just of infrastructure but also their finances. Part of this journey includes comprehensive modernizations of heavily trafficked corridors, which, while intended to reduce the number of faults and hike reliability, may not be noticeable for several years.
Despite these renovations, German Rail continues to grapple with infrastructure snags, aging fleets, communication issues, operation complexities, and unrealistic punctuality standards.
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Source: ntv.de, AFP
- The discontent among the public is evident as numerous users express their frustration on social media due to the persistently low punctuality rate of German Rail's long-distance trains.
- As part of German Rail's long-term transformation, there are ongoing infrastructure renovations aiming to modernize heavily trafficked corridors, improve reliability, and reduce the number of faults, but these changes might take several years to be noticeable.
- The automotive industry, finance, public-transit, and railway industry are likely to come together to address the chronic issues facing the railway sector, as the transformation of German Rail also involves significant financial modernization.
