Last year, 88.6 per cent of high-speed trains, IC trains and long-distance trains in Belgium ran on time according to a comparative study by technology start-up Chuuchuu that looked at punctuality and train delays in seven European countries, including Belgium. Only Switzerland and the Netherlands perform better. Belgian passengers also fare significantly better than those in Germany, where barely 58.5 per cent of services ran on time.
Over the past year, high-speed trains, IC trains and long-distance trains in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy recorded 71.3 million minutes or 136 years of delays. Germany alone accounts for 67 years of delays, almost as much as the other six countries combined.
The figure comes from Chuuchuu, a technology start-up that is working on a European travel planner for train journeys with the focus on reliability. ‘We are trying to convince people to take the train more often,’ explains CEO Arne Nys.
The punctuality figures for Belgium are lower than those supplied by the NMBS, the national rail operator. NMBS figures on punctuality fluctuate between 89.6 and 93.7 per cent depending on the month. The NMBS uses a punctuality margin of 6 minutes and also counts all trains.
Chuuchuu only counts high-speed trains, international trains and IC trains, and does not include Suburban, Local or Commuter services. Trains with shorter routes are less prone to delays.
Night train or nightmare?
European night trains recorded the longest delays. According to Arne Nys, this is due to the longer routes these trains travel, complex procedures at national borders and competition for priority with freight trains.
We see a similar phenomenon in Belgium: the longest delays are on night trains, high-speed trains to and from Germany, and the Eurostar connection between Amsterdam, Brussels and London.