As the 9-euro ticket unleashed a rush on transport in Germany, Deutsche Bahn posted its worst monthly punctuality rate since 2010, with only every other long-distance train arriving on time in June 2022. 

Just 58 percent of long-distance trains arrived on time in June 2022

Deutsche Bahn’s punctuality problem continues. The company recently announced that 88,5 percent of regional trains arrived on time in June 2022, and only 58 percent of long-distance trains. Both are the worst monthly values recorded since the end of 2010, when an outbreak of extremely wintry weather at Christmas brought traffic to a standstill across the country.

While some of the issues can be blamed on the 9-euro ticket encouraging more people to use public transport, Deutsche Bahn also said that construction sites were causing lots of problems last month. “Intense construction activity throughout the DB network and the very high utilisation of central rail routes by passenger and freight trains continue to have a negative impact on punctuality,” said a spokesperson. 

Passengers entitled to compensation for delayed trains

Deutsche Bahn recently set itself the target of achieving 80 percent punctuality in long-distance transport this year - a target that it looks set to miss by a country mile, with the rate still well below the previous year’s value of 75 percent.

If a train is delayed by at least an hour, passengers can ask for a quarter of their fare to be reimbursed. If the delay is two or more hours, you can get 50 percent back. You can apply for refunds via a paper form, the Deutsche Bahn website or the DB app.