The punctuality of České dráhy’s trains in the first half of 2024 was half a percentage point better than in 2023. On average, 89.3% of arrivals at railway stations and stops were on time. This figure does not only characterise train arrivals at the destination stations. It represents dozens of millions of train arrivals at all stations where trains stop. České dráhy dispatched more than 1.2 million services in the first half of the year.
If the focus were only on delays caused by the carrier itself, then only about one per cent of all its trains would be delayed. These delays are mostly caused by longer passenger boarding and alighting times, e.g. when carrying groups, large numbers of passengers with bicycles or people with impaired mobility who need special platforms to board and alight. The second most frequent cause of delays on the part of the carrier was the technical failure of locomotives, units and railcars, and the third most frequent cause of delay was the late preparation of the train for departure.
However, the most frequent cause of delay was the so-called train sequence, which accounted for 26.9% of delays from January to June. This fact is influenced by the historical nature of our railway network. Although it is the densest in Europe, it also has one of the highest proportions of single-track railway lines. In the Czech Republic, the proportion of single-track railway lines is a staggering 77.5%. In neighbouring Austria, for example, it is around 56%, and in Germany it is only 45% of lines. The trains operating abroad do not have to wait so often for crossings on ''single-track railway lines'' and can run more smoothly. However, this also applies to overtaking slower freight and passenger trains and express trains. In fact, there are very few multi-track sections on our railways where freight, regional and long-distance traffic is separated, but instead there are many sections with very high densities of trains featuring different speeds.
The three most frequent causes of train delays include waiting for a connection within the framework of waiting times (19.6%), so that people can get to their destination and home as comfortably as possible and do not have to wait for almost an hour for the next train due to a slight delay of the first connection, as well as the impact of planned closures and outages (12.2%), during which e.g. the line capacity is reduced (only one track is available instead of two, trains have to wait for trains from the opposite direction) or there is a slower substitutive bus service.
The fifth most frequent cause of train delays is also worth mentioning, namely delays caused on the network of a neighbouring operator. This figure refers to a relatively small number of international trains in the total number of services operated by České dráhy. This figure thus illustrates that the punctuality of Czech trains is at a high level and in most cases better than abroad.
The top ten reasons for train delays
1. Train sequence (crossing, overtaking, operating intervals): 26.9%
2. Waiting for connections within the framework of waiting times: 19.6%
3. Impact of planned closures and outages: 12.2%
4. Turnover of trainset, traction vehicle, staff at destination/return station: 7.8%
5. Delays due to other causes on the neighbouring operator's network (late arrival from abroad): 6.0%
6. Impact of incidents (e.g. accident at level crossing, movement of persons on track): 3.9%
7. Extension of planned stay, increased passenger frequency: 3.4%
8. Technical defects of the traction vehicles: 3.2%
9. Weather conditions (fallen trees, flooded tracks due to storms): 3.0%
10. Train assembly by the carrier (preparation of the train for departure): 2.8%
Author: Tiskové oddělení Českých drah
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