In the first half of 2024, the Czech railway company České dráhy achieved a slight improvement in train punctuality. This positive development is reflected in detailed analyses of the causes of delays and their impact on train operations.
During this period, České dráhy recorded a slight improvement in train punctuality. Compared to the previous year, the punctuality rate increased by 0.5 percentage points to 89.3%. This rate refers to the arrival times of all trains at all railway stations and stops in the country. Over 1.2 million trains were handled during this time.
The analysis shows that less than one percent of delays can be attributed to errors on the part of the transport company. The main causes of delays included longer boarding and alighting times, particularly for group journeys, passengers with bicycles, and people with reduced mobility. Technical problems with locomotives and railcars, as well as delays in preparing trains, also contributed to the delays.
The most frequent cause of delays was the ‘train sequence,’ accounting for 26.9% of delays. These delays are due to the dense, but predominantly single-track Czech railway network. In comparison, neighboring countries such as Austria and Germany have a much lower proportion of single-track lines, which leads to smoother train operations.
Other significant causes of delays included waiting for connections (19.6%) and the effects of planned closures or cancellations (12.2%). Additionally, delays in the network of neighboring operators, particularly for international trains, also contributed to the overall situation.
Overall, the analysis shows that the punctuality of Czech trains is at a high level and often outperforms international competitors.
