German cities rank last in Europe for train punctuality — The Local Germany
In Germany, ten cities ranked at the bottom of the European Railway Index for train punctuality. Passengers at German stations waited for trains for nearly 15 minutes on average, while the average figure at Europe’s busiest stations was eight minutes, The Local Germany reports.
Most delays in Dortmund
The worst rate of delays was recorded in Dortmund, where disruptions affected 73.8% of trains. In Cologne, 71.5% of trains were delayed. Hamburg, Bremen and Essen followed among the cities with the worst results.
At Berlin Central Station, around 61% of trains were delayed, while in Frankfurt am Main the figure was about 57%. Passengers waited the longest in Hamburg, where the average waiting time reached nearly 25 minutes. At Berlin Central Station, it was 20 minutes.
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Modernization is behind schedule
The study’s findings are consistent with Deutsche Bahn data: in August, only 54.2% of long-distance trains arrived on time. The national rail operator attributed the low reliability to outdated infrastructure and the modernization of the busiest rail corridors.
Deutsche Bahn chief Evelyn Palla said that delays also occur during construction work. The route between Hamburg and Berlin resumed operations this year six weeks later than planned, while work between Regensburg and Nuremberg was completed with a three-week delay. On the line between Cologne and Hagen, an unsafe bridge was discovered after work had been completed, causing prolonged delays.
The Stuttgart 21 project to reconstruct Stuttgart’s main station is now expected to be completed no earlier than 2031. Palla also said that Deutsche Bahn will reduce the number of such projects from four to two per year, which could push the overall modernization timeline beyond the current 2036 deadline.
