Reliable Rail taskforce recommends 22 measures to improve punctuality

The measures are meant to take effect in 2026 and 2027: among them platform tracks kept free and earlier scheduled departure times at congested hubs, binding buffer times on selected DB InfraGO routes from 2027, AI-assisted train dispatching, digital orders (up to 2 percentage points better long-distance punctuality) and four pilot digital technical centres by 2027.

The Zuverlässige Bahn (Reliable Rail) taskforce, in which the federal government, the Länder, the Federal Railway Authority, the Federal Network Agency, operators, public transport authorities, associations, unions and DB InfraGO have worked since November 2025, adopted its report with 22 measures that can be implemented at short notice on 20 March 2026 and has thereby completed its work. They include platform tracks kept free as a reserve at congested hubs, earlier scheduled departure times, binding buffer times on selected DB InfraGO routes from 2027, AI-assisted dispatching, digital transmission of orders during disruptions (up to 2 percentage points better long-distance punctuality), a revision of three rulebooks by the end of 2026 and four pilot digital technical centres by 2027. Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder calls it an important milestone and demands consistent implementation (LOK Report, 20 Mar 2026).