The railway promises improvement, but things are currently getting worse again: in April, more than a third of their long-distance trains were unpunctual. According to Bahn, the reason is also construction sites in the run-up to the European Football Championship. This could cause problems at Pentecost.
Only 64.3 percent of long-distance trains made it to their destination without major delays last month. Deutsche Bahn’s balance sheet has therefore deteriorated somewhat compared to the previous month. In March, 67.6 percent of IC and ICE trains arrived on time. According to railway statistics, a train is considered late if it is delayed by six minutes or more.
“Numerous construction sites continue to slow down the ICE and IC trains,” the railway said in its justification. Before the European Football Championship, which starts in Germany in mid-June, the group wants to tackle as many construction sites as possible. “There will be peaks in construction activity until the start of the European Football Championship because DB will reduce its construction activity to a minimum during the European Championship,” said the railway.
More trains to the Baltic Sea at Pentecost
The construction sites will also be noticeable at Pentecost – one of the main travel times. The railway is expecting a particularly large number of travelers for the long weekend. The company said that trains are expected to be very busy, particularly on the main routes.
The most popular travel days are Friday and Whit Monday. “We recommend traveling on these days only with a seat reservation on ICE and Intercity trains.” In regional transport, additional trains are provided in some regions. This is the case, for example, on the routes between Berlin and the Baltic Sea. “The reason is the sharp increase in demand – also due to the Germany ticket,” said the railway.
EVG: “We lack rides and staff”
The railway and transport union (EVG) warned of chaotic conditions – especially in regional transport. “The regional transport provided will not be sufficient, especially towards the coast and to the islands in the Baltic and North Seas,” said Ralf Damde, chairman of the general works council at the railway subsidiary DB Regio, to the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. “We lack the services and staff.” Damde therefore expects trains to be overcrowded and to be cancelled.
The Pentecost weekend could also be seen as a blueprint for the European Football Championship. “I appeal to politicians, employers and owners to adjust regional transport to accommodate more passengers and call for a special EM program.”
In order to protect rail employees, the railway works councils and the EVG recently announced that, if necessary, they would not approve shift schedules during the EM if the risk situation did not allow this. Then trains would also be canceled. The railway wants to deploy around 900 additional security guards on the trains during the football tournament in Germany to protect passengers and employees.