Punctuality

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

Punctuality in rail transport in Germany has continued to decline despite the intensive management of operational quality. This is due in particular to the following structural issues:

• Poor condition of facilities: The infrastructure is outdated and overloaded and the number of facilities in need of renewal is continuing to rise. This is leading to disruptions affecting old interlockings, superstructures and dilapidated rail bridges, among other things. The result is a large number of restricted speed sections, which frequently lead to delays over a long period of time.
• Intensive construction activity: In order to modernize the rail network, extensive construction activity again took place in the first half of 2025. This led to capacity restrictions and, in some cases, critical levels of line utilization. In particular, construction work that became necessary at short notice, with unstable construction planning processes, had a negative impact on operating quality. A large number of trains are affected by construction work as a result, thereby causing additional delays.
• High traffic density: Most of the growth in traffic is occurring in the already highly utilized traffic hubs such as Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main or Cologne. These selective overloads of the infrastructure cause high levels of delays which are transferred to the entire network.
• Staff shortages: In some key operational functions (e.g. traffic controllers and train drivers), the strained labor market situation is still having a noticeable impact. This is exacerbated by short-term absences, e.g. due to illness, which means that staff coverage in these areas remains challenging in some cases.
• Other events: Individual incidents can have a major negative impact on the operational stability of the entire network, particularly when they occur at major hubs or on critical lines. In the first half of 2025, these included incidents such as the collision between an ICE train and a truck trailer south of Hamburg in February 2025 as well as actions by public authorities, such as the defusing of a Second World War bomb in Cologne and the knife attack at Hamburg Central Station in May 2025, but also external influences on rail operations, such as the major fire at a waste disposal company in May 2025 or the damage to overhead wires caused by flying birds in Hanover in June 2025.

Measures as part of the S3 restructuring program

A large number of measures were initiated and implemented as part of the S3 restructuring program to stabilize and improve operating quality. These measures – such as the introduction of the synchronized construction system – have a profound impact on the structural planning processes, some of which have a horizon of several years in advance, meaning that the full effect will only be felt in the medium to long term in some cases. In addition, the impact of measures that have already been implemented is partly overcompensated by negative structural and individual effects. One of the reasons for this is that short-term construction requirements are occurring more frequently, and facilities are becoming faster fault-prone than previously anticipated.

SB² synchronized construction:

The SB² synchronized construction program is developing closure period containers that provide for standardized closure periods for maintenance and capital expenditure measures in the schedule. The aim of this concept is to reduce the number of trains affected by construction by 30% between 2023 and 2027. The arrangement of the capital expenditure containers within the schedule is an essential lever for this reduction.

The maintenance containers have already been actively implemented since June 2024. More than 80% of the maintenance work for tracks, hubs, S-Bahn (metro) systems and preventive maintenance is already carried out in a synchronized way. In the first half of 2025, the percentage of maintenance measures performed in a synchronized way increased to 85%. By managing maintenance measures in the con­tainers, their occupancy rate has improved significantly and is now stable at 70%.

By adjusting the container frequency in the second half of 2025 to eight weeks in sections with a good network condition, the positive trend should continue, and the occupancy rate should increase further. The target for the container occupancy rate is 80%. The number of trains affected by construction on the TOCs’ train services is expected to be 15% lower at the end of 2025 than the previous year’s figure.

Preparations for the implementation of the containers for capital expenditure measures in the 2027 schedule have been completed and the closure periods for the capital expenditure containers have been added to the schedule.

Hub measures

Many delays currently occur at busy hubs such as Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main and Cologne. Among other things, scheduled train starts and the neutralization of delay effects from the hubs are extremely important when it comes to relieving the burden on the hubs. The focus is on the provisioning process and increasing on-schedule departures from the starting station as key drivers for overall punctuality. Thanks to a targeted package of measures, on-schedule departures from the starting station have already increased from 68.2% in the first half of 2024 to 72.5% in the first half of 2025. These measures include flexible turnaround concepts and the introduction of flexible departures with earlier scheduled departure times for customers, which help to create scheduling leeway.

Line measures

Congestion on the lines, e.g. due to unfavorable train sequences or delays being passed on, is a major driver of unpunctuality. To prevent congestion on the lines, countermeasures are being developed for the network corridors used by DB Long-Distance’s top eleven lines. This is being accompanied by measures such as keeping spare rolling stock available for rapid deployment.

DB Long-Distance vehicle quality

By improving vehicle quality, we want to reduce vehicle-related train cancellations, increase availability and contribute to greater punctuality and an improved passenger experience. Thanks to a younger fleet and maintenance optimization, we have reduced punctuality-related vehicle disruptions by about 10% and increased vehicle availability by eight ICEs a day.

Increasing resilience of DB Regional

To increase vehicle availability, DB Regional is strengthening responsibility in the regions: depots and fleets are now coordinated locally from a single source.

Passenger information

The quality of passenger information is a key factor in ensuring customer satisfaction in local and long-distance transport. Our customers need good information on the current situation, especially in difficult operating situations. As part of the S3 restructuring program, we are therefore working across DB Group to specifically improve passenger information in the event of irregularities. Our success in this respect is measured by satisfaction with the passenger information in the event of irregularities. Our goal is for our passengers to give us a grade of “Good” in such situations by the end of 2027. We made tangible progress in the first half of 2025, including more precise forecasts for arrivals, departures and transfers, standardized disruption and construction site reports in the S-Bahn (metro) systems, and a more flexible alternative search function in DB Navigator.