Overview
- Only 56 percent of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance trains met the six-minute punctuality threshold in July 2025, the lowest rate since the early 2000s.
- The Hamburg–Berlin corridor remains fully closed for renovations through April 2026, affecting about 30,000 passengers daily.
- Deutsche Bahn posted a €760 million loss in the first half of 2025, prompting a government-backed rescue plan with multibillion-euro funding.
- Passenger association Pro Bahn projects that restoring reliable service and regaining public trust could stretch into the 2030s.
- International outlets such as the Washington Post have labeled the rail delays a “national identity crisis,” underscoring decades of underinvestment.