December marks another step for digitisation at Deutsche Bahn. From December 15, all printed arrival timetables will be removed from platforms at German train stations.

DB to remove printed arrival timetables

Currently, Deutsche Bahn’s arrival timetables are displayed on a white poster on platforms at major German train stations. Departure timetables as displayed on a yellow poster alongside.

But from December 15, when Deutsche Bahn begins running on its new timetable, these white arrival posters will be removed from platforms and arrival times will be fully digitised. 

Instead, printed QR codes will be displayed in platform notice vitrines. Passengers can scan the QR code with their mobile phone to see the live arrival timetable online. The printed departure timetables will remain on display.

While this means arrival timetables will only be immediately available to those with a mobile phone, the national rail provider has said the move will save paper and administrative costs.

Third of DB long-distance trains were late in 2023

Responding to the news, some critics have suggested that Deutsche Bahn’s decision to remove printed arrival timetables from platforms is another method of normalising chronic delays.

The most recent annual figures published by Deutsche Bahn found that just 64 percent of long-distance trains run by the company reached their destination on time in 2023. Deutsche Bahn considers a train late when it arrives at a destination six or more minutes after the scheduled arrival time.

In August 2024, a report by Süddeutsche Zeitung claimed that neglected infrastructure and consequent delays meant Deutsche Bahn timetables had already been changed between 2 and 3 million times in 2024 alone.

According to the newspaper, a Deutsche Bahn advisory board report admitted, “timetables are no longer calculated, but only estimated.”

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