Punctuality in Rhine-Main rail traffic: almost every tenth train is canceled!

Punctuality in Rhine-Main rail traffic: almost every tenth train is canceled!

Punctuality in Rhine-Main rail traffic has reached a worrying low. How n-tv reported that delays and cancellations in regional transport around Frankfurt have increased significantly in recent months. Current figures from the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) show that almost 50% of canceled journeys can be attributed to construction work. Despite improvements in signal box staffing and better availability of drivers, the record number of construction sites remains a major challenge for rail transport.

Compared to 2024, when 87.8% of S-Bahn trains arrived on time, punctuality fell to 86.1% at the end of June 2025 - a trend that is also evident on regional trains, where punctuality fell to 84%. According to the definition, a train is considered late if it is more than six minutes overdue. Ultimately, more than one in ten trains were canceled, which meant constant uncertainty in everyday travel for passengers.

Construction work and its influence

The situation is not only characterized by the internals of Deutsche Bahn, but also by the massive construction activity. The transport association expects that passengers will also have to be prepared for unpunctual trains in the near future. With around 2,500 changes to timetables in the RMV area this year, construction activity is omnipresent. This particularly affects the S-Bahn lines S1, S2, S8 and S9, whose timetables will be restricted due to work on the rail tunnel between Frankfurt and Offenbach. Such circumstances mean that passengers in the region can rely less on the usual reliability of the trains.

A ray of hope could be the general renovation of the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim, which led to improvements in punctuality and reliability. Overall, punctuality in local transport is now 81%, which represents progress compared to 68% last year.

Passenger numbers and future prospects

What is interesting is the increase in passenger numbers, which is largely due to the Deutschlandticket. 730 million passengers were successfully counted last year, close to the numbers from 2019. It remains to be seen whether this will also be noticeable in the daily stress of commuting. The RMV has launched initiatives to improve rail transport, including recruiting and training new staff and purchasing new S-Bahn trains to increase punctuality.

A comprehensive analysis shows that operational punctuality is loud German railway in passenger transport is 88.0% and in the region it is 88.9%. However, the challenges in long-distance transport are enormous, with punctuality at just 57.1%. This discrepancy between different areas reflects the problems that appear to exist for commuters in the Rhine-Main area.

When asked how punctuality will continue, the RMV is quite pessimistic and expects further difficulties in rail transport. The problems in regional train transport, such as a lack of staff and outdated infrastructure, remain major hurdles for the future.