traffic
More train delays in October at Deutsche Bahn
A display board in the hall of Cologne Central Station indicates delays. Photo: Henning Kaiser / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
That was not a good month for Deutsche Bahn. The punctuality of the ICE and Intercity left a lot to be desired in October. But there are reasons for that.
Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance trains came late last month more often than in October for several years.
67.6 percent of the ICE and Intercity came on time, as a train spokesman for the German press agency announced. The Bahn counts trains as punctual if they arrive less than six minutes late. The last time there was a weaker October value in 2015.
“A storm low at the end of October led to disruptions in rail operations across the country,” the statement said. “Construction work – also as a result of the flood disaster – severely impaired rail operations in western Germany.”
In October 2020, the punctuality of the long-distance trains was 78.8. In September of this year, too, the values plummeted. The strikes of the train drivers’ union meant that only 68.4 percent of long-distance trains were on the move without major delays that month.