Economist Article: It will take years to get Deutsche Bahn back on track

Article is behind a paywall: https://www.economist.com/business/2023 ... k-on-track

In mid-may germans were bracing for the third, and longest, national rail strike this year. Deutsche Bahn (db) was locked in a dispute over pay with evg, the union representing most German railway workers, including 180,000 at the state-run behemoth. At the last minute union leaders called off a 50-hour stoppage that was going to begin on the evening of May 14th. German travellers breathed a sigh of relief—and then gasped as db failed to reinstate all of the 50,000 cancelled services. The next day roads were clogged by commuters who, worried about getting stuck at a train station, took the car instead.

On May 23rd db and the union met for a fourth round of wage talks, with no long-term resolution in sight. And labour unrest is only one of many fronts on which db is fighting. Once a source of national pride, it has become the butt of bad jokes (“We have one about db but we don’t know whether it will work”). In April just 70% of its long-distance trains were on time. And even that was an improvement on the whole of last year, when only 60% were punctual; the company’s (unambitious) goal is at least 80%. db services are “too crowded, too old and too kaputt”, Berthold Huber, who sits on db’s board, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a daily, this month.
...

With regard to this:

In April just 70% of its long-distance trains were on time. And even that was an improvement on the whole of last year, when only 60% were punctual; the company’s (unambitious) goal is at least 80%.

It should be noted that there are two separate companies. DB Fernverkehr running long-distance trains, and DB Regio running the state-subsidized local and regional trains that see the vast majority of passengers.

For April '23:

• DB Fernverkehr
  • trains run during month : 20,000
  • trains running within 6 minutes of schedule : 70.3%
  • trains running within 16 minutes of schedule : 86.5%
• DB Regio
  • trains run during month : 780,000
  • trains running within 6 minutes of schedule : 93.3%
  • trains running within 16 minutes of schedule : 98.7%

DB Regio also runs substantial bus services.

The current EVG strikes primarily show effects through employees at DB's infrastructure and station operations subsidiaries going on strike (i.e. dispatchers and such) - and due to that also all other companies being unable to use the network (i.e. also competitors of DB). Most engineers and onboard service personnel for trains are not organized in EVG, but instead in competing union GDL.

For non European countries, within 16 minutes of schedule would be regarded as on-time.