After hitting a 12-year punctuality rate low in July 2022, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has announced it will take a new approach to reducing delays in future: by adjusting its timetable information and booking system to allow more time for people to change trains when travelling long-distance. 

Deutsche Bahn increases train transfer time to reduce disruption

Anyone booking a long-distance train in Germany in future will notice that the travel time looks a little longer. This is because Deutsche Bahn is planning to adjust the standard transfer time for long-distance train connections to factor in potential delays. This will give people more time to make their connecting train, should the first service arrive late.

“We no longer show tight connections that are difficult to achieve in the current operational situation when planning and booking,” DB board member Michael Peterson told ARD. Up until now, Deutsche Bahn would book customers onto connecting trains departing within eight minutes of the first train’s scheduled arrival time, but in future, this will be increased to 10, 12 or 14 minutes, based on current issues and performance statistics on certain sections of the line, Peterson said.

On the other hand - because sometimes miracles do happen - if the customer arrives at the changeover station in time to make the earlier connection, they will still be able to board this train without facing any issues. Customers will also be able to toggle shorter or longer transfer times when booking their transport, depending on whether they prefer speed or peace of mind.

“We want to make travelling easier to plan,” Peterson added. “The fastest connection is not always the most reliable.”

It’s worth knowing that the change will also have an impact on Deutsche Bahn’s policy when it comes to issuing compensation for delayed trains. If customers book a connection shown on the DB Navigator app or website, and then face delays, they can claim reimbursement as standard. If, however, they choose the riskier option of taking the earlier train (with the shorter transfer window), they won’t be entitled to compensation in the event of a delay. 

Deutsche Bahn battles delays amid rail travel boom

Less than 60 percent of Deutsche Bahn trains have departed within five minutes of their departure time since the coronavirus pandemic - a damming statistic that doesn’t even take into account services that are cancelled outright.

Alongside the changes to timetabling and ticketing, Deutsche Bahn is also launching a new drive to up staffing levels to help prevent delays. An extra 1.000 workers will be deployed on trains and at stations to help passengers with boarding, disembarking and finding their seats.

The company also plans to invest 10 billion euros by 2029 to expand its fleet of trains and add more seats to each connection. This year, the ICE fleet is expected to grow to 360 trains, an increase of 13.000 passenger seats.

The changes should help the company keep up with a booming appetite for rail travel in the wake of the pandemic. Although long-distance passenger numbers have not yet exceeded the 151 million seen in 2019, the total number of kilometres travelled reached a new high between May and July this year, as more and more people opt for the train for longer journeys.