New DB boss and transport minister announce plan to improve punctuality

German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) has announced Deutsche Bahn’s new boss and the government’s plan to improve punctuality across the rail network.

Evelyn Palla confirmed as new Deutsche Bahn boss

Evelyn Palla has now been confirmed as the new CEO of Deutsche Bahn. Palla, an Italian national from South Tyrol, previously led the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Regio and is the only DB board member who can actually drive a train, having learnt last year.

Palla succeeds Richard Lutz, whom Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder sacked in August. Lutz’s sacking was painted as a fresh start for Deutsche Bahn, which has been starved of government funding and plagued with delays in recent years.

Representatives of the passenger association ProBahn and the German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) both praised the decision to appoint Palla. "It's an encouraging signal that somebody who has a close eye on punctuality figures and passenger statistics both from the outside and the inside is taking responsibility,” said GDL boss Mario Reiss.

Schnieder sets DB goal of 70 percent punctuality by 2029

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Schnieder and Palla announced Deutsche Bahn’s new punctuality goal for 2029: that 70 percent of long-distance train services arrive on time. This is actually down from the current government goal of 80 percent punctuality in the immediate future and a long-term goal of 90 percent punctuality.

Deutsche Bahn considers a train late if it arrives more than five minutes and 59 seconds after its scheduled arrival time. In 2024, over a third of long-distance trains were delayed, and the company paid out 200 million euros in compensation for delays.

For comparison, 81 percent of trains in neighbouring Austria were on time in 2024, 83 percent in Czechia, 87 percent in France, 91 percent in Denmark, 96 percent in Belgium and an impressive 99 percent in Switzerland. Chronic delays at Deutsche Bahn have even pushed Switzerland’s SBB, to cut certain services connecting the countries.

In March, the Bundestag approved Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s 500 billion euro special fund to invest in schools, bridges, rail and other infrastructure. Schnieder said that 10 billion euros of this fund would go towards digitisation at Deutsche Bahn before 2029.

Renovation projects along the track network and at stations across the country have begun and will continue in the coming years. Meanwhile, Schnieder promised that customer service and communications would improve at Deutsche Bahn by 2027.