Transport Minister Volker Wissing expects long-distance trains to be more punctual at Christmas time. The Riedbahn - an important route between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim - is currently responsible for a lot of delays.
A total of 16.3 billion euros will flow into rail this year, primarily into the renovation of sections of the route. SPIEGEL research recently showed that the ambitious goal of general renovation - 80 percent of trains should be on time by 2030 - is hardly realistic.