Roughly every twelfth long-distance Deutsche Bahn train cancelled in full or in part

A complete cancellation did not occur in every case: some of the affected trains reached their destination with delays or on shortened routes, according to the figures. Cancellations without replacement due to acute problems – such as missing staff or technical defects – are also counted in the statistics.

Greens rail politician Matthias Gastel criticised the development with regard to passengers. „Die Deutsche Bahn und die Bundesregierung dürfen dem Anstieg und hohen Niveau ausgefallener Fernverkehrszüge nicht tatenlos zusehen“, the Bundestag member said. He pointed to the aggravated situation on several main lines.

Criticism from the Greens parliamentary group

According to the Greens, the background to the debate is a persistently high strain on the network due to construction sites, old rolling stock and staff shortages. The GDL union had repeatedly called for strikes in rail traffic in recent years and pressed for better working conditions and higher wages. Infrastructural bottlenecks, for example in Bavaria, are also regarded as recurring weak points.

In the course of the debate over the renovation of the rail infrastructure, the Federal Ministry of Transport had pointed to the special fund and the ongoing general renovation of important corridors. These programmes are intended to bundle work on routes over months and reduce the number of short-notice construction sites. Industry observers, however, point out that the effects will only become visible in the medium term.

Background: construction sites, staff and the GDL

Deutsche Bahn points internally to operational measures such as additional reserve trains, expanded workshop capacity and improved dispatch. Regardless, punctuality in long-distance services remains a key indicator by which the company's management is measured, according to several industry insiders.

For passengers, the figure means concretely that, on an average long-distance journey in the course of the year so far, statistically about one in twelve booked tickets was affected by a cancellation or partial cancellation. Replacement services, diversions or replacement bus services were available to travellers in such cases, but journey times were often significantly extended.

Political reactions and outlook

The opposition in the Bundestag announced that it would bring the issue before the transport committee. Gastel called for binding punctuality targets, faster investment in rolling stock and signal boxes, and honest communication with passengers when trains are cancelled.

The debate over the future financing of local and long-distance passenger rail services also remains open. While the Länder and municipalities are pushing for higher regionalisation funds, the federal government emphasises the importance of the ongoing infrastructure programmes. One thing is clear: without tangible progress on punctuality, the political pressure on Deutsche Bahn and the Ministry of Transport is likely to continue to mount.