Punctuality
The customer is at the center of our actions
High product quality is one of the most important prerequisites for implementing our Strong Rail strategy. Among the biggest levers for increasing product quality is the high quality and reliability of the services offered. This includes a high level of punctuality, use of modern vehicles, reliable and comprehensive customer and transport information as well as appropriate transport times. That is why we continually invest in our fleet and infrastructure, and optimize cooperation with our suppliers and sector partners. Opportunities offered by digitalization are being exploited.
Improving punctuality is particularly important as it is the key factor influencing customer satisfaction and therefore makes a positive contribution to meeting our customer needs, also in the context of increasing mobility needs.
Only if our services are rendered sustainably with a high degree of punctuality will passengers use our services in the long term and thus contribute to a sustainable transport transition. Increasing unpunctuality makes it harder for our customers to plan and carry out business and private trips. If customer satisfaction decreases due to a lack of operational quality, this can lead to a decline in passenger numbers. Punctuality is also the key factor in the stability of production systems. Particularly in long-distance and freight transport, unpunctuality leads to disrupted vehicle and personnel circulation, which in turn has a negative impact on maintenance processes. From an economic point of view, a high level of punctuality also minimizes the risk of contractual penalties in local transport and compensation via passenger rights in long-distance transport.
The importance of punctuality is taken into account by the fact that it is one of the determining factors for the amount of variable remuneration received by executives.
Development in the year under review
| Punctuality / % | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DB Group (rail) in Germany | 89.4 | 90.1 | 90.9 |
| DB rail passenger transport in Germany | 89.5 | 90.3 | 91.0 |
| DB Long-Distance | 62.5 | 64.0 | 65.2 |
| DB Regional 1) | 90.7 | 91.4 | 92.2 |
| DB Cargo (Germany) | 68.0 | 70.5 | 66.1 |
| DB Regional (bus) | 85.9 | 85.2 | 86.0 |
| DB Cargo | 68.2 | 69.7 | 66.3 |
| Punctuality (whole journey) (DB Long-Distance) | 67.4 | 68.9 | 69.3 |
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
- Intensive construction activity and short-term construction planning processes
- High traffic density
- Staff shortages
- Lack of system robustness
- Other events
Significant measures for improvement
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.
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
- Long-distance vehicle quality
- Increasing resilience of DB Regional
- Hub and line measures
Outlook - S3 restructuring program
| Anticipated development | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Punctuality (operational) DB Long-Distance (%) | 62.5 | 65–70 |
| Punctuality DB Regional (rail) (%) | 90.7 | 90–92 |
| Punctuality DB Cargo (Germany) (%) | 68.0 | 66.5–71.5 |
| Trains affected by construction (thousand trains/year) | 2,787 | 2,350 |
- Operations:
- The aim is to improve punctuality by 2025. However, achieving the punctuality targets remains a major challenge due to the further planned increase in transport volumes and the existing capacity and obsolescence problems in the infrastructure. For this reason, quality measures will be further advanced and intensified, particularly with regard to structurally sustainable improvements.
- The aim is also to reduce the trains affected by construction. A significant reduction in trains affected by construction will lower the number of construction-related regulations during the year and increase the proportion of schedule documents provided on time.