Are Swiss people always on time?
Mostly, and the trains prove it. In 2025 a record 94.1 percent of SBB trains arrived on time, and SBB counts a train as on time when it arrives less than three minutes late.
Ep. 8 · Ding or Clonk? · 54 seconds. Watch
The real rule
Why the Swiss laugh, and what it means if you're new here.
The cliché is mostly true for trains: in 2025 a record 94.1 percent of SBB trains were on time, and on time means less than three minutes late. People hold themselves to the same standard. As a newcomer, arrive at meetings and dinners on the minute, and be on the platform before the train, not with it.
Blüemli's verdict: Ding. Mostly. 2025: 94.1% of SBB trains on time. A record.
PÜNKTLICH: literally: “on the dot”; for Ueli: five minutes early Ueli's Word
Be like Ueli. Be on the platform early.
Learn more: Arrival course, day 10: transport
The rule, explained
Punctuality is the Swiss cliché that holds up best. SBB, the federal railway, reported a record punctuality of 94.1 percent for 2025, up from 93.2 percent in 2024. Note the definition: a train counts as punctual when it arrives less than three minutes late. So a train two minutes late is, officially, on time. For people the bar is higher. Arrive at a meeting or a dinner on the minute, or a few minutes early. Pünktlich literally means on the dot.
Sources: SBB punctuality 2025, via mobilityblog.ch and Blick, 27 January 2026; company.sbb.ch, definition of punctuality
Questions people ask
When is a Swiss train considered late?
From three minutes. Under three minutes late counts as on time (SBB).
How punctual are Swiss trains?
In 2025, 94.1 percent of SBB trains were on time, a record.
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