Punctuality

Development in the year under review

To measure punctuality, we compare the target arrival time to the actual arrival time for every performed train/bus run. We summarize the arrival of trains/buses on schedule or up to a defined maximum delay in the punctuality rate.
¹⁾ Adjusted to third-weighted representation (S-Bahn (metro) alternating current, S-Bahn (metro) direct current, DB Regional Rail without S-Bahn (metro)).

Punctuality in rail transport in Germany has continued to decline despite intensive management of operational quality. The reasons for this development were:

• Poor condition of facilities: The outdated and overloaded infrastructure leads to a large number of disruptions, including in the superstructure or in old interlockings. Super­structure faults, in particular, result in a high number of restricted speed sections, which often lead to delays during a longer period of time.
• Intensive construction activity and short-term construction planning processes: A very high construction volume was once again implemented in 2024. Above all, in the highly utilized bottleneck network construction work often leads to critical route utilization levels and im­­pairments to operating quality. In addition to the sheer volume of construction work, particularly short-term construction requirements had a negative impact on operational stability. During the year, this leads to a high number of trains affected by construction, and additional delays.
• High traffic density: Most of the growth in traffic occurs in the already highly utilized traffic hubs such as Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main or Cologne. These selective overloads of the infrastructure cause high levels of delays which are transferred to the entire network.
• Staff shortages: In some key operational functions, the tight labor market situation is particularly noticeable, rendering it difficult to cover the operative personnel requirements (e.g. in the case of train dispatchers) in spite of the efforts with regard to recruiting and personnel loyalty.
• Lack of system robustness: The operational challenges in all production processes lead to a high planning load in the entire rail operations. Due to the overlapping of individual effects, each additional disturbance leads to stronger and longer effects on operating quality.
• Other events: Extreme weather events such as the floods in southern Germany at the beginning of June 2024, interventions in rail operations by third parties and official operations led to further negative punctuality effects. The GDL’s strikes also had an impact.

Key improvement measures in 2024

To improve and stabilize the quality of operations, we initiated and implemented a number of measures in 2024. These measures also intervene in the operating processes and attempt to achieve a sustainable increase in quality via paradigm shifts, among other things. This also means that the effect of these measures is often only likely to be felt in the medium to long term. In addition, the effect of measures that have already been implemented is partly overcompensated by negative structural and individual effects.

Punctuality action plan

The Punctuality Action Plan initiated at the start of 2024 was implemented. Based on the core measures defined in the beginning “Increase in starting punctuality at the beginning of the train run,” “Reduction of extraordinary speed restrictions,” “Increasing the technical availability of the vehicle fleet” as well as “Stabilization in the major transport hubs” and “Increasing the reliability of information on disruption durations,” a portfolio of topics was defined to improve the quality of the infrastructure and rail operations and thus increase punctuality. In 2024, we further developed many measures with the Punctuality Action Plan to create the conditions for future improvements.

Digital production network 2024

The digital production network (DPV) is intended to set the framework for future digital rail production and thus make significant contributions to increasing punctuality and capacity, optimizing vehicle availability and reducing costs. In 2024, the portfolio comprised 38 measures in total and includes network, business unit and DB InfraGO projects. With regard to punctuality, an effect was achieved in 2024, particularly at DB Long-Distance.

Stabilization of rail operations and improved construction 
with SB²

The SB² synchronized construction program, launched in 2023, aims to better harmonize train running and construction work and ensure the stabilization of operations despite persistently high construction requirements. Synchronized construction means introducing a synchronized production standard for maintenance and capital expenditure measures in the form of standardized closure times: the so-called container approach. Container refers to such a standardized blocking time. This approach is the prerequisite for reconciling the required construction volume with stable and, above all, timely communicated schedule conditions.

The design phase has been completed for maintenance. Since July 15, 2024, maintenance work has been performed in four-week phases in maintenance containers of the line type. These maintenance routes are located in the network segments with high and very high capacity utilization as well as on selected routes on the rest of the network that are relevant for construction-related detour of interregional passenger and freight transport. More than 80% of the maintenance work from July 15 to the end of December 2024 on the routes with maintenance containers was performed in line with the cycle time, i.e. during an existing closure period without additional traffic congestion. The maintenance line containers have also been successfully used for short-term troubleshooting on facilities, resulting in initial stabilization effects during operation. For 2025, an extension of the container cycle from four to eight weeks is planned for routes with good facility conditions to reduce capacity restrictions and further increase container occupancy. It is also planned to reduce the time required for the maintenance containers from eight to seven hours.

The next implementation step of synchronized construction is also due to be completed in the first quarter of 2025: by way of the roll-out of the hubs and S-Bahn (metro) type maintenance containers, we will complete the maintenance container portfolio. The roll-out of a dedicated container type for prevention work is also planned for the first quarter of 2025. The implementation of the maintenance and prevention containers is aimed at ensuring that we can keep our facilities in a good and robust condition in the long term and at the same time guarantee a high level of plannability for the TOCs with regard to structural restrictions.

The capital expenditure containers for major capital expenditure-driven construction activities and refurbishments will be used for the first time in 2027 as planned due to the necessary lead times. The planning process initiated for this has already shown that about 70% of the planned construction measures can be implemented within the defined containers. The capital expenditure containers will be taken into account in the schedule, which will significantly reduce the number of schedule adjustments during the year. The mapping of the capital expenditure containers in the 2027 schedule is already in preparation and will be completed and consulted on in the market in accordance with the planned deadlines.

By way of the synchronized construction we not only stabilize operations: clocked and standardized time windows for construction work on the track aim to plan construction times and resources to be used more proactively. In addition to improving the long-term stability of the schedule creation, this approach is aimed at giving our partners in the construction industry more lead time and planning security in the provision of resources.

Overarching process “provisioning and train run execution”

• Plan run: The overarching process provisioning and train run execution (PlanFahrt) is a cooperation of DB Group companies involved in rail operations and more than 20 regional rail companies. It focuses on solving challenges in particularly highly frequented hubs together in teams. Better interfaces and joint data evaluations are aimed at identifying weak points, developing joint solutions and also improving forward-looking planning. As part of the Punctuality Action Plan, the overarching process was able to improve the quality in the hubs in 2024 with more than 100 measures in local and long-distance transport.
• Flex departures: Trains with a flex departure (FlexAbfahrt) can leave the platform earlier if required, without changing the official departure time for passengers. Generally, it is scheduled for the departing trains that it takes a few minutes to prepare for departure before the train actually leaves. This time, marked accordingly as “operational departure,” is about one to two minutes after the scheduled departure known to passengers. Under appropriate conditions, this distance can be shortened. These trains leave bottlenecks more quickly and thus help to compensate for delays. This gives us a time buffer, which is particularly advantageous for routes with construction work or unforeseen disruptions.
• Quick turnarounds: Save travel time by turning around early. To save travel time and avoid delays being carried over to subsequent journeys, a train can, for example, turn at the platform instead of being driven to the depot, where it is normally prepared for the next journey. This should ensure that delays do not affect other areas such as train staff, infrastructure and disposition. To ensure quality in the case of early turnarounds, mobile cleaning teams among others are deployed.

Measures as part of the S3 restructuring program

The S3 restructuring program has a special focus on operational stability. The core drivers form the project content: construction activities, vehicle quality and resilience in local transport as well as the operational interrelationships on routes and in hubs. Punctuality is thus one of the key S3 targets. The projects are:

• SB² synchronized construction: The SB² program develops the “containers” described above, which provide for fixed times for maintenance and capital expenditure measures in the schedule from the outset. By 2027, trains affected by construction during the year are to be reduced by 30% compared to 2023. To achieve the targets for trains affected by construction during the year in 2025, we want to optimize the maintenance containers introduced in summer 2024. Previous experience is implemented in the process.
• Long-distance vehicle quality: We are optimizing our operational deployment concepts, continuing to modernize our vehicle fleet and increasing the efficiency of our depots through targeted capital expenditures in maintenance capacities. This is aimed at getting as many trains into service as quickly as possible in the best possible vehicle quality.
• Increasing resilience of DB Regional: DB Regional counter­acts staff-related train run cancellations by way of intensive recruitment and training. We more than halved the number of kilometers cancelled due to staff absence in 2024. To increase vehicle availability, DB Regional is strengthening responsibility in the regions: depots and fleets are no longer to be coordinated centrally, but locally from a single source. In addition, we aim to reduce the variety of vehicles and thus the complexity of operations.
• Hub and line measures: Many delays currently occur at busy hubs such as Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main and Colo­gne. Valuable minutes are lost at the start of the day, especially in the hubs. The planned hub and line measures are thus aimed at ensuring punctual departures, neutralizing the delay effect of hubs, avoiding congest­ion on the routes due to unfavorable train sequences, for example, and decoupling train journeys to such an extent that delays can be absorbed in the course of the day instead of building them up further and further in the system.