Return to normal?
According to a media report, the punctuality of the train is falling again.
At the beginning of the pandemic, things looked different.
Berlin (dpa) - The trains of the Deutsche Bahn were delayed again this spring more frequently than in the same period of the previous year.
In May, 80.8 percent of long-distance trains were on time and thus 5.5 percentage points less than in the previous year, as reported by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Saturday).
In April it was a good seven points less than a year earlier.
In the first Corona lockdown in 2020, the punctuality values skyrocketed.
The railway allowed at least three quarters of the trains to continue, but there were only a few passengers on board.
This largely eliminated an important reason for delays: getting on and off at full platforms.
This spring, too, the occupancy rate was low, but significantly higher than a year earlier.
At Easter there was almost half of the usual demand.
With the removal of travel restrictions, bookings picked up.
By the end of April, however, they were still just under a third below plan.
That leads to a loss.
Until the end of May, the minus before interest and taxes (EBIT) in current business was according to information from the "SZ" at 1.5 billion euros and was 170 million higher than expected.
The state-owned company is burdened with a mountain of debt of a good 29 billion euros.
An increase to almost 32 billion euros is expected by 2023.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210619-99-58601 / 2
