European rail punctuality analysis shows high variance

An analysis by the technology startup ChuuChuu of over 17.3 million rail journeys in 2025 reveals significant variations in train punctuality across several European countries, including Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland.

Switzerland leads the ranking with a 97.8% punctuality rate, while the Netherlands (93.9%), Belgium (88.6%), and Austria (82.2%) also show high performance. France ranks fifth with 79.7% of trains arriving on time, performing better than Italy (62%) and Germany, which recorded the lowest punctuality at 58.5%.

Total cumulative delays across the studied regions amounted to 71.3 million minutes. Factors contributing to delays include the prioritization of freight traffic over night trains and extreme weather events, such as a heatwave on July 1, 2025, which reduced general punctuality to 64.6%.