Record heat has significantly impacted the punctuality of long-distance rail services operated by Deutsche Bahn, according to internal data reported by Bild am Samstag. The reported decline follows a period of unprecedented temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius across Germany.
On Wednesday, the hottest day of the year to date, only 35.5% of scheduled long-distance trains arrived on time. This represents a continued downward trend, with punctuality rates at 37.3% on Tuesday and 40.7% on Monday. These figures mark the lowest performance levels observed since December 2023, following the impact of Storm Zoltan.
Deutsche Bahn has acknowledged the challenges posed by the extreme weather conditions. A spokesperson confirmed to Bild am Samstag that the record temperatures placed considerable strain on both the rail network and the trains themselves. Contributing to the disruptions were severe thunderstorms and brush fires which necessitated numerous short-notice train diversions. These incidents, alongside the high temperatures, resulted in damage to critical infrastructure including cabling, noise barriers and overhead lines. Officials noted that the infrastructure’s need for maintenance makes it particularly vulnerable to disruption and that extreme heat events cause approximately double the usual number of system failures.
