DSB to distribute 1.8 million euros to commuters
Despite achieving impressive punctuality rates in the first quarter of the year, Danish State Railways (DSB) has announced plans to distribute 13.7 million kroner (1.8 million euros) in compensation to commuters.
During the initial three months of the year, DSB achieved punctuality rates of 78.5 per cent for long-distance and regional trains, and a 96.5 per cent for S-trains. Despite these figures surpassing the punctuality targets for both categories, commuters are set to receive payouts due to various factors, including historical delays and changes in compensation thresholds. DSB’s contractual target with the state mandates a punctuality rate of at least 75 per cent for long-distance and regional trains and a minimum of 92.4 per cent for S-trains.
“Following some challenging weather conditions around the New Year, customers have generally experienced trains running on time in the first quarter of the year,” stated Tony Bispeskov, DSB’s Head of Information. “Nevertheless, we are paying out a substantial amount to commuters primarily because the payments occur the month after the customer’s commuter card expires.”
Compensation amount
The compensation amount also reflects a significant increase in the number of commuters enrolled in DSB’s Commuter Travel Guarantee, with a 22 per cent rise compared to the same period last year. The payouts to commuters after the first quarter of 2024 are broken down by route, with significant sums allocated to key routes such as Copenhagen-Odense and Copenhagen-Roskilde.
DSB’s Commuter Travel Guarantee allows customers with Commuter Cards, Youth Cards, and Business Cards to receive automatic compensation for delays. The compensation is calculated monthly based on the proportion of delayed customers on a route, with thresholds set at a deviation of three minutes from the timetable.
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