Today german newspaper 'Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ)' reported that more and more trains of DB arrive behind schedule. At the moment at least 1 out of 4 trains arrives late due to construction work, ramshackle tracks and logistical problems. Particularly the "ICE Sprinter" trains arrive behind schedule quite often

DB's plan is to have a punctuality of 86% but it is now below 80% so far this year. So be careful when planing a trip with DB and don't expect to arrive on time.

But to mention some good news as well: on my last trips service increased at least in 1st class.

Cheers
totti

And this is news why?

Show me just one country with a large rail network where trains don't run late. And no, not Japan. I've been there.

This is news because DB always assert that they improved over the last years. And in addition to this punctuality during the World Cup was up to more than 90% which is pretty good. It is also interesting to see that especially one of their premium products - the "ICE Sprinter" - is one of the worst in terms of tradiness.

And btw there is a difference between the personal feeling that you are always late when using trains and a official report stating that punctuality is a greneral problem!

But you are right that is has always been a problem in many countries and will much likely be for the future as well.

No regular DB passenger is astonished about this news.

Perhaps the DB management will start thinking about this problem now. Perhaps. They are great at ignoring complaints.

My personal record this summer was a delay of 85 minutes. On an ICE, of course.

I think the worst I ever saw was 'bis 30 min. sp�ter', but I don't remember what type of train it was. I think it was in Berlin, though.

I had a 90 minute WX delay on DB last winter.

They handed out discount vouchers.

During my most recent trip, completed about eight days ago, I had six DB segments (all ICE) - four were on time, one was about five minutes late, and the final one was seriously late, about 50 minutes. The announced reason was a problem with signal lights somewhere beteeen Hamburg and Berlin Hbf (other trains were also being affected by the problem, so it definitely wasn't the specific equipment on my scheduled train).

I'm going to guess you're referring to this article:

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/,wirl2/wi...kel/397/91306/

One thing I don't see in that article, though, is what counts as a delayed train. I can't find the report on the DB site, but as one of the comments down at the bottom mentions, if we suppose that the report is counting anything over a five-minute delay as a versp�tung, then a train that is 7 minutes late is counted by this process as late as a train that is 20 minutes late.

I'll agree that there do seem to be more delays than there used to be, but on the whole, still much better than what I've personally experienced with Amtrak.

It seems to be the article I was referring to (I had the printed version) and yes, in this article there is no difference between 7 minutes delay and 30 minutes or even more. Everything above 5 minutes counts as delay. And IMHO this is absolutely okay because there is no difference if I arrive 7 minutes late and miss my connection or if I am 50 min. late and miss my connection as well. In both cases I have a lot of trouble and DB normally doesn't really care about such things.

For North Americans, this news item means nothing.

Essentially it should be read as stating that German trains are always on time. The average North American visiting would come to that conclusion, even if not exactly true.

After all, we're used to Amtrak standards, where reaching DB standards is so distant a concept as each Tanzanian owning a car.

Each and every Tanzanian will own a Mercedes long before Amtrak reaches DB standards.

Anyone making travel plans on the assumption that DB trains are always on time does so at his/her own peril. Last winter, DB apparently couldn't handle snow (it never snows in Germany?) and my train to FRA was 80 minutes late. I just made my plane, but many of my fellow travelers were not so lucky.

I have traveled due to Business in the last six month a lot using the train (in average one trip every ten working days) and I commute to work using train (and bus).

I have been on time only once (!), the most (70%) had a delay than less than five minutes (what did not count as delay), but the worse things, the other 29% had a huge delay of more than 15 minutes. My personal record is 95 minutes due a train with a engine damage between as far as I remember Bonn and Cologne.

Several trains got canceled on my several trips (but I was able to take another one).

I usually plan to take an earlier train for travel to Frankfurt Airport to be on the safe side or even travel the day before, depending on the departure time.

But the delay had sometimes something positive - I was able to get the sometimes faster while direct previous train due to its delay

In my case, I ha purchased a 25% discounted 1.klass ticket Berlin-Leipzig-Erfurt. The 50 minute delay out of Berlin caused me to miss my connection in Leipzig, but I was accomodated on a later train Leipzig-Erfurt without any problem or additional cost.

Well the TGV in France is over 90% on time. And the trains in Switzerland too.