Overview
- Deutsche Bahn reported more than 75% on-time arrivals for long-distance trains on December 24–25, with about five million passengers traveling over the holiday period.
- DB InfraGO scaled back construction to a minimum for the holidays, and Deutsche Bahn deployed extra staff, cleaners, and expanded Sprinter services to stabilize operations.
- The Bundesnetzagentur imposed €2.8 million in coercive fines on InfraGO for inadequate and late construction announcements and labeled the site management “miserable.”
- Regulators cited timely notification rates of roughly 62% in summer and 55% in late autumn, said other rail companies must be compensated, and noted very late works may be halted, which DB is contesting in court.
- DB leader Evelyn Palla has forecast annual long-distance punctuality below 60%, and the company is offering 200,000 discounted tickets from €17.99 for travel on December 31 and January 1.