High-speed slowdown for German trains

MORE than half of Germany’s high-speed, long-distance trains arrived late in November.

November’s figure was the worst for rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) in eight years, according to a Bild am Sonntag newspaper report on December 3, which found that only 52 per cent of the company’s Intercity Express and Intercity trains did not experience delays.

“Roughly three-quarters of the long-distance trains were slowed down by at least one construction site during their journey,” a DB spokesman told Bild.

The statistics did not include trains which were less than six minutes late, as these were considered to be on time.

The November punctuality figure neither reflected DB’s standards nor did it provide the service that travellers “rightly expected”,  the spokesman added.

He went on to explain that a “massive backlog” in infrastructure renovations meant that the company had to increase construction operations during 2023, with more sites affecting the service.

Meanwhile, heavy snow has disrupted public transport, particularly in Bavaria where Munich’s main railway station was closed on December 2 as Interecity and Intercity services were halted with “massive disruptions” expected until December 3.