Deutsche Bahn has a problem with punctuality: One in three of its long-distance trains are between six and 30 minutes late, according to the results of a survey released Wednesday night.
The study by Stiftung Warentest, an independent consumer organization, evaluated more than 1.3 million arrival times of regional and long-distance trains, such as the ICE or Intercity, between July 2010 to February 2011.
The evaluation also found that although regional trains were only delayed half as often, travellers often missed their connections because the trains did not wait for the delayed long-distance trains.
The occurrence of delays was highest in Erfurt (43 percent), Leipzig (39 percent) ad Hamburg (38 percent).
The timeliness of Deutsche Bahn trains has been in the news in recent months, following winter snowstorms, during which hundreds of trains were significantly delayed. Afterward, Deutsche Bahn said it was investing millions of euros in improvements to its service.
Stiftung Warentest is calling for greater investment in Germany’s rail network so bottlenecks can be eliminated.
Full results appear in the May issue of the organization’s Test magazine.
The Local/mdm
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