The train became less punctual again in April. The reason is construction sites that the group wants to complete before the European Football Championship. This is likely to slow down traffic even over Pentecost.
Before the European Football Championship, the railway wants to work through as many construction sites on the rails as possible – which is why the long-distance trains were less punctual again in April. Only 64.3 percent of the railway’s IC and ICE trains reached their destination without major delays last month, as the company announced. In March the rate was 67.6 percent. A train is considered late if it is delayed by six minutes or more.
However, the so-called traveler punctuality only fell slightly by 0.3 points to 70.2 percent in April compared to March. It indicates the proportion of long-distance passengers who reached their destination on time in the corresponding month. Delays of 15 minutes or more are included in the statistics. To do this, it also records train cancellations that affect customers’ punctuality.
Many construction sites due to an outdated network
The railway and its passengers have been struggling for years with the high level of unreliability on the rails due to the network being outdated in many places. In November, almost every second train was late. In the following months, punctuality improved continuously. But in April it sank again. “Numerous construction sites continue to slow down the ICE and IC trains,” the railway said in its justification. “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.”
This is likely to also have an impact on traffic at Pentecost. As is usual in such cases, the railway is expecting an extremely high volume of travel over the long weekend. The company said that trains are expected to be very busy, particularly on the main transport axes. “The main travel days will be Friday and Whit Monday,” it said. “We recommend traveling on these days only with a seat reservation on ICE and Intercity trains.”
It is better to avoid peak travel times at Pentecost
If you can travel flexibly, you should avoid peak travel times and use connections in the early morning or late evening. “If the ICE is fully booked, intercity connections can be good alternatives on some routes, as these are generally less busy,” it continued.
In regional transport, the authorities in the federal states have ordered additional trains 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.
The Railway and Transport Union (EVG) nevertheless warned of chaotic conditions, particularly in regional transport. “The regional transport provided will not be sufficient, especially towards the coast and to the islands in the Baltic Sea and North Sea,” said the chairman of the general works council at the railway subsidiary DB Regio, Ralf Damde, to the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Friday). “We lack services and staff – there will be frustration and escalations due to overcrowding, train cancellations and train evacuation.”
Pentecost traffic as a blueprint for the EM period
The Pentecost weekend could also be seen as a blueprint for increased traffic during the European Football Championship, Damde continued. “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.
Source: Stern
