Punctuality

To measure punctuality, we continually compare the scheduled arrival time to the actual arrival time for every train/bus run. We summarize the arrival of trains/buses on schedule or up to a defined maximum delay using a degree of punctuality.

The punctuality in rail transport in Germany has continued to decline despite intensive efforts within the Integrated Rail System, thus continuing the negative trend since 2021. The reasons for the tense operating situation are:

• Poor condition of facilities: The outdated and overloaded infrastructure leads to a large number of disruptions, especially in the superstructure. These disruptions result in a high number of restricted speed sections.
• Construction activities during the business year: The large number of construction activities during the business year disrupt capacity management and lead to a destabilization of the schedule processes.
• High traffic density: The growth in traffic, especially in the major transport hubs, continues to put the infrastruc­ture under strain and causes significant passing on of delays.
• Personnel: In some key operational functions, the impact of the tight labor market is particularly noticeable, making it difficult to meet personnel requirements (for example traffic controllers and traction unit drivers).
• Other events: Extreme weather events, such as the floods in southern Germany at the beginning of June 2024, which led to substantial damages to the infrastructure and long-lasting adverse effects on rail operations, a high number of interventions in rail operations by third parties and public authority activities led to further negative punctuality effects. Strike measures taken by the GDL also had an impact.
• Lack of robustness in the system: The operational challenges in all production processes lead overall to a considerable dispositive burden in all rail operations. Due to low resilience and overlapping of individual effects, each additional disruptive effect leads to a greater and longer impact on operational quality.

In order to counteract the negative development and stabilize the operational quality, in addition to the measures taken into account in the quality planning (for example the Digital Production Network, the SB² (alleviate the pressure on the system and stabilize operations) initiative), measures intended to support stabilization in the short term were also implemented faster as part of the punctuality action plan.

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