German trains faced record weather delays last month

FRANKFURT, Germany: German long-distance trains faced a record number of weather-related delays in June, the railway operator said on Monday, with growing complaints that problems on the network are affecting Euro 2024.

The Bild daily reported that just 52.5 percent of German long-distance trains arrived on time in June. It compares to a figure of 68 percent in March and 63 percent in January.

Operator Deutsche Bahn said the official figures would only be released later but admitted that extreme weather had last month “put a massive damper on punctuality”. “In June, we recorded the highest number of weather-related delays ever on our long-distance trains,” a spokeswoman said.

“On average, more than 400 long-distance trains per day were affected by external factors such as landslides, flooding and dam damage.” This was 100 percent higher than the usual figure, she said.

Deutsche Bahn defines a train as being late if it arrives six minutes or more past its scheduled arrival time. Serious flooding in southern Germany killed at least five people in early June, and forced thousands from their homes.

But Detlef Neuss, from German rail passenger association Pro-Bahn, told Bild the rail network was “ailing”. “The infrastructure has been run down for decades and too little money has been invested in the railway system. The staffing situation is also completely unsatisfactory.”

There were concerns ahead of the Euros, which kicked off in mid-June, about the state of the railways, and complaints about train travel problems have been multiplying during the tournament.

Fans have frequently complained of missing the start of games due to delays, and even tournament director Philipp Lahm arrived late for the Ukraine-Slovakia kick-off.