Delayed trains: Deutsche Bahn compensates customers with a record sum

Train cancellations and delays apparently cost Deutsche Bahn dearly last year. According to a media report, the group paid its customers the record sum of 92.7 million euros in compensation.

Deutsche Bahn apparently had to pay the record sum of 92.7 million euros in compensation to its customers due to train cancellations and delays in 2022. That is 54.5 million euros more than in 2021. This is reported by the “Rheinische Post”, citing a spokesman for the railways.

Rail customers are increasingly using online applications

A total of around 3.8 million applications for compensation were processed, which corresponds to an increase of around 2.2 million cases compared to the previous year. The reasons for the increase are the increasing number of travelers after the Corona years 2020 and 2021 and the increased use of the online procedure for submitting compensation applications since June 2021. This only takes a few minutes “and is therefore used more frequently than before, using only the analog passenger rights form,” said the spokesman.

Bahn boss admits: punctuality problems worsened

Deutsche Bahn boss Richard Lutz admitted to Deutsche Bahn’s significant punctuality problems at his balance sheet press conference last week. In long-distance transport, the punctuality rate fell from 75.2 percent in 2021 to just 65.2 percent in 2022. In accordance with passenger rights, customers who are 60 minutes late at the destination station receive compensation amounting to 25 percent of the fare paid for a single journey , from 120 minutes it is 50 percent.

Bahn expects a record number of travelers in 2023

Last year, 132 million travelers boarded IC and ICE trains – 61 percent more than in the Corona year before. For this year, the group expects 155 million travelers, which would be a new record. Despite the rapid increase in passenger numbers, the group was not out of the red in 2022 either. The bottom line was a minus of around 227 million euros, as the group management announced last week.