Overview

• Reporting led by Der Spiegel cites internal BetriebLive chats—including the line “Zug fällt zur Verbesserung der Statistik ab Köln aus”—and documents indicating delayed long‑distance services were ended early so they would not count against on‑time metrics.
• One highlighted case is ICE 616 on September 16, which officially stopped in Cologne due to a “kurzfristiger Personalausfall,” while the internal chat referenced improving statistics; a similar instance was cited for September 11 near Cologne.
• Deutsche Bahn acknowledges the internal messages and says the phrasing was wrong, denies any systematic “beautifying” of figures, and argues that early terminations can be a discretionary measure when viable alternatives exist for travelers.
• GDL chief Mario Reiß calls the practice an open secret and accuses management of “Zahlentricks und Leerfahrten,” with reports describing empty repositioning runs over long distances after passengers are asked to disembark.
• The dispute centers on metrics: operational punctuality excludes canceled trains (August 59.6 percent for ICE/IC), while a passenger‑based measure includes cancellations (August 66.7 percent), prompting calls from Allianz pro Schiene to review bonus‑linked targets.