Last year, a third of all long-distance trains operated by Germany's national railway company Deutsche Bahn ran late, the worst showing in 10 years, deepening an existential crisis in a country where failing to show up on time is verboten.

While German trains—operated primarily by Deutsche Bahn (DB)—historically enjoyed a reputation for pinpoint punctuality, that reputation has faced significant challenges in recent years. In 2024 and 2025, the "punctuality rate" for long-distance trains (ICE and IC) often hovered between 65% and 75%, meaning nearly one in three long-distance trains arrived more than six minutes late. The primary causes for these delays are a massive, decades-long "infrastructure backlog," ongoing construction work to modernize the aging rail network, and a highly congested system where passenger and freight trains share the same tracks. When one train is delayed, it often causes a "domino effect" across the tightly scheduled network. However, it is important to distinguish between long-distance and regional travel; the "S-Bahn" and regional "RB/RE" trains tend to be much more reliable, often maintaining punctuality rates above 90%. To help passengers, DB has a comprehensive compensation scheme: if your train is more than 60 minutes late, you are entitled to a 25% refund, and for more than 120 minutes, a 50% refund. Despite the current struggles, the system remains incredibly frequent and expansive, making it the preferred way to travel across Germany even with the increased risk of delays.