13-02-2025
German state railways DB service cancellations rose in 2024
German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn cancelled more services in 2024 than in previous years.
This is according to an answer from the Transport Ministry to a question from Green Party Bundestag member Matthias Gastel, which was made available to dpa.
The ministry stated the proportion of cancelled long-distance journeys rose from 1% in 2019 to 4% in 2024.
In regional services, the proportion was reported to be 5% last year.
The rail operator has been pressing the German government to fund massive investments in the country's railroads, arguing that a lack of maintenance and investment in recent decades have caused problems and limited capacity.
Gastel called for high-level investment in railway infrastructure and maintenance of trains.
Free Democrats lawmaker Torsten Herbst also raised questions in parliament about cancellations for long-distance services.
According to the ministry's response, there were more than 13,600 cancelled journeys last year. More than 60% of these were due to external causes.
Almost half of all cancellations occurred due to strikes in January 2024, according to the ministry. The strike by the train drivers' union GDL caused massive disruptions to passenger and freight rail services throughout Germany, with the majority of trains cancelled.
