Switzerland bans entry of chronically late German trains

In a bold move to maintain its reputation for punctuality, Switzerland has started prohibiting the entry of certain trains from Germany. The high-speed ICE trains from Germany have been chronically unpunctual, and Swiss authorities are determined not to let these delays disrupt their own railway network's efficiency.

According to foreign media reports, a staggering 92.5% of all trains in Switzerland arrived at their destinations on time in 2023. In stark contrast, Germany's punctuality rate for the same period stood at a mere 64%. The Swiss Federal Railways AG (SBB) has been forced to prematurely halt 11% of all trains on the Munich-Zurich route and 12.4% of trains from Germany on the Freiburg-Basel route in 2023.

Switzerland's strict standards consider a train to be on time only if it deviates from the schedule by less than three minutes. In Germany, however, a buffer of 10-15 minutes is allowed, depending on the route. The most common reasons for delays on the German side include construction work, malfunctions of overhead power lines, infrastructure issues, and strikes.

Notably, around half of the stopped trains bound for Switzerland were affected by delays caused by railway workers' strikes in Germany.