Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has increasingly halted German trains at the border due to punctuality issues.

In the first quarter of 2024, over 11% of ICE trains from Germany were stopped from entering Switzerland, a significant rise from just 2% the previous year.

The main reasons for these stoppages include infrastructure problems, such as construction work and overhead line disruptions, which accounted for 75% of the delays.

On the Freiburg-Basel route, the percentage of stopped trains reached 12.4%.

The SBB has implemented a policy allowing a 10 to 15-minute buffer for German trains before they are denied entry, reflecting Switzerland's high standards for punctuality, with 92.5% of Swiss trains arriving on time compared to only 64% in Germany.

This situation has led to frustrations among travelers, as they often have to switch trains at the Basel Badischer Bahnhof due to delays.