Which trains are punctual in the world?

Japan's high-speed train started running in 1964 and is called 'Shinkansen'. Japanese railways are renowned for their safety and reliability, and the Shinkansen is renowned for its punctuality. The average train delay is less than one minute every year.



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Japan: Japan's train system is considered to be one of the best in the world. Its Shinkansen (bullet train) is known for its high speed, punctuality, and safety record.

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Japanese Trains Are The Most Punctual Japan's train system is legendary for its punctuality.

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Because most tracks are optimized for heavy fright trains which in America are more important, economically, than passenger transportation. Heavy trains displace tracks, sleepers and ballast so that it is impossible to let locomotives and passenger wagons run with higher speeds. And fright trains are slow.

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These longer trains allow for more goods to move more efficiently, which lowers fuel use and costs for the railroads.

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The United States possesses the largest railway network in the world, in terms of total operating length.

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The percent of French SNCF trains that arrive with a delay of less than 15 minutes is at 87%, according to a study released in 2022 (read here about it in French). So 13% of French trains are delayed by 15 minutes or more.

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Japan: L0 Series Maglev (374 mph) Although not yet in regular service, this Japanese train, which is currently being developed and tested by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), holds the land speed record for rail vehicles, clocking in at 374 mph.

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Nothing's more punctual and efficient than a German train, right? Apparently not anymore, as NPR's Daniel Estrin discovered in Berlin. DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: In Germany last year, one out of every four long-distance trains ran late.

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The percent of French SNCF trains that arrive with a delay of less than 15 minutes is at 87%, according to a study released in 2022 (read here about it in French). So 13% of French trains are delayed by 15 minutes or more. This represents an increase in lateness over the decades since the 1950s.

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You can always have delayed trains but as rule the Italian trains run on time as well as well as anyone else.

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In 2018, the European country with the most punctual regional and local passenger rail service was Estonia, where 99 percent of the services were classified as punctual. During the same year, around 90.2 percent of the regional passenger rail services in all 27 member countries of the European Union arrived on time.

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Talking loudly on trains is considered bad mannered and ranks highly amongst the most annoying behaviors on trains in Japan. Don't talk on the phone. Only on long-distance trains on the decks between cars is talking on the phone acceptable. Set your phone to silent mode.

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Rail in the US is dominated by freight movements, the passenger sector is very much and afterthought and doesn't receive much investment. As a result their lines are slow, dominated by freight, and their rolling stock is old and low tech. Japan, in contrast, has one of the best and most modern railways in the world.

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