German rail punctuality unlikely to improve before 2029, official says

Germany's long-distance trains are becoming increasingly unpunctual, despite the extensive track refurbishment work that is being carried out on the country's rail network.

However, Philipp Nagl, head of rail operator Deutsche Bahn's subsidiary DB InfraGo, set out a timetable on Thursday for when the situation is expected to improve.

"The knock-on effect will be felt once we have completed the most challenging refurbishment projects," Nagl told the weekly newspaper Die Zeit. These include the modernization of the Hamburg-Hanover line, scheduled for 2029.

The so-called "comprehensive refurbishments" are intended to bring the ageing rail network up to standard for the long term, with dozens of routes affected. The project has already been revised several times following delays and persistent problems.

When the first refurbishment began in 2024, former Deutsche Bahn chief executive Richard Lutz had claimed that punctuality was set to improve steadily.

Since then, the opposite has happened. Punctuality on long-distance services has fallen from 64% in 2023 to around 60% last year. The figure is likely to be even worse in 2026. 

The Federal Ministry of Transport's rail strategy aims for a punctuality rate of at least 70% on long-distance services by the end of 2029.

Nagl said the main cause of the continuing delays is outdated technical infrastructure, with points, overhead lines and signal boxes currently breaking down faster than they can be repaired. He also said extreme weather had put systems "under particular strain this year."

Another reason, he said, is the high volume of traffic on the lines. The Hamburg-Berlin line, for example, was originally designed for one long-distance train per hour in each direction. Now, Deutsche Bahn alone operates services there every 30 minutes.