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Construction projects experience slowdown in April, causing further delays

Train construction sites held up progress in April.

Rail service in Germany faltered badly throughout April.
Rail service in Germany faltered badly throughout April.

Punctuality Problems Plague German Rail: Construction Sites Delay Trains in April

Construction projects leading to train disruptions in April - Construction projects experience slowdown in April, causing further delays

When it comes to holiday travel, few things are more frustrating than a delayed train. Unfortunately, this was the case for many German Rail passengers in April 2025. The state-owned company saw a significant drop in punctuality, with only 61.9% of ICE and IC trains reaching their destination on time. This is a decrease from the 64.3% rate seen in April 2024.

So, what caused this traffic jam on the tracks? Construction projects. German Rail reported that the numerous construction projects underway were a major factor in the reduced reliability of their long-distance trains. In April 2025, there were more construction sites than in the previous year, with particularly intensive activity over the extended Easter weekend.

To be considered late, a train must be delayed by at least six minutes. While cancellations are not included in this statistic, they do factor into the so-called passenger punctuality, which measures the proportion of passengers who reached their destination with a maximum delay of 14 minutes and 59 seconds. In April 2025, this figure was 76%, a decline of around 3 percentage points from the previous year.

The rail network in Germany is outdated and overloaded. As a result, German Rail is engaged in a long-term repair process, which includes comprehensive overhauls of heavily traveled corridors. These modernizations aim to reduce the incidence of faults and improve reliability. However, passengers may not notice the benefits for several years.

Unfortunately for passengers, the construction sites are a necessary evil. The chronic delays that have persisted and worsened over recent years are due, in part, to systemic problems within Deutsche Bahn, such as an overly complex corporate structure, insufficient digitization, and chronic underinvestment. This has been highlighted by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) as a fundamental cause for ongoing delays.

Some long-distance trains experienced delays up to 60 minutes in mid-May 2025 following major disruptions. Additionally, the SBB suspended two key EuroCity services (EC7 Hamburg to Interlaken and EC9 Dortmund to Zurich) inside Switzerland as of April 29, 2025 due to persistent late arrivals of DB trains in Basel. This move was meant to mitigate the knock-on effects of DB’s delays on the punctuality of Swiss train services.

In conclusion, the combination of Deutsche Bahn's internal structural problems, cross-border operational impacts, and infrastructure-related slowdowns have led to noticeably worse punctuality in April 2025 compared to the previous year. So, if you're planning a trip by train, you might want to pack some patience!

Keywords:

  • Delay
  • German Rail
  • Construction Site
  • Long-Distance Train
  • Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
  • Punctuality issues
  • Infrastructure modernization
  • Track blockages
  • Speed restrictions

[1][2][4][5] References omitted due to character limit.

  1. The community policy implemented by German Rail could address the infrastructural challenges faced by the company, thereby reducing delays during vocational training periods when many construction sites are active.
  2. The finance department should consider subsidizing vocational training programs for those in the automotive and public-transit industries to educate new workers who can aid in Germany's transportation industry modernization and help improve transportation dependency on Deutsche Bahn.
  3. In light of the chronic delays experienced by the long-distance trains, industry experts suggest integrating vocational training for railway workers into the community policy to enhance knowledge and skill development, ultimately improving the overall punctuality of Deutsche Bahn and addressing the repeated issues.

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