Frequent late arrivals of long-distance trains at Hamburg's principal train station

In a recent development, Cansu Özdemir, a Bundestag member from Hamburg, has highlighted the struggles facing the city's railway system. The German railway considers a stop to be late if a train is at least six minutes behind schedule, and according to Özdemir, the railway has deteriorated significantly, becoming a "repair case" due to decreased punctuality and increased delays.

The issues with Hamburg's rail transport have been primarily managed by Deutsche Bahn and its subsidiary DB InfraGO. However, many planned projects have experienced delays or have not been implemented due to significant cost increases in construction materials, inflation, and complex logistics. Additionally, competing budget priorities in social and climate spending at the federal level have constrained available funds for infrastructure investments, contributing to postponements or reduced execution of measures in Hamburg's rail sector.

The punctuality problem of long-distance trains is evident at Hamburg's main station. Over the past four years, the average delay of long-distance trains has increased steadily from 7 to 11.4 minutes. Last year, punctuality in long-distance traffic throughout Germany was 62.5 percent, a significant drop from previous years.

In response to Özdemir's questions about the issue, the ministry did not provide reasons for the decrease in the number of stops at Hamburg's main station for long-distance trains. The average number of daily stops decreased from an average of 169 between 2021 and 2023 to 156 last year.

A spokesperson for the German railway attributed the increasing delays to the rail network being too crowded, old, and prone to malfunctions. They also explained that disruptions on individual routes can have a domino effect and spread throughout the entire network in the closely meshed, timed system.

Özdemir emphasized the need for more investments in the railway and affordable tickets to address the railway's current state. She also stated that long-distance traffic is no longer a reliable means of transportation for the people of Hamburg.

The specific austerity policies affecting the rail system are not mentioned in the provided text. However, Özdemir's comments suggest that these policies are contributing to the current state of the railway. The current state of the rail system in areas other than Hamburg is not mentioned in the provided text.

Frequent late arrivals of long-distance trains at Hamburg's principal train station