Germany’s national railway company is focused on improving on-board creature comforts, whereas real improvements in reliability are still some years out.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) is set to invest substantially to improve passengers’ experience on the German railways, specifically to improve the condition of restrooms and basic amenities on trains.
This comes as DB’s new CEO, Evelyn Palla makes clear that it will take years for real improvements to punctuality and reliability in Germany’s national railway to be felt.
After years of delays, cancellations and public frustration, Palla has made clear that restoring trust will take time, but also that passengers can expect to see some immediate changes.
The intended message is clear: if trains are late, at least they should be clean, functional and reasonably pleasant.
Cleanliness and comfort
On Friday, DB announced plans to spend an additional €20 million a year to improve basic amenities on board trains, including on-board restaurants and increasing the number of available toilets.
Cleaning staff on busy trains are to be doubled, and mobile repair teams will be stationed at major hubs such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, to deal with broken toilets faster.
READ ALSO: Deutsche Bahn rejects demand to make toilets in train stations free
The plan includes an effort to ensure that coffee service is more reliably available on trains and to expand the menu at on-board restaurants.
The above efforts are amount to one of three immediate programmes DB has planned to improve travellers’ experience.
A second programme focuses on safety and cleanliness at stations by increasing the number of security and cleaning staff at Germany’s train stations. DB has also planned an expanded “spring cleaning” effort to be rolled out at around 1,400 stations – twice as many as last year.
The third programme, which has yet to be unveiled in detail, is intended to improve the way travel information, especially during delays and track changes, is shared.
Evelyn Palla, Deutsche Bahn CEO, sits in a power unit of a regional train. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl
Strikes averted
While local public transport strikes have recently affected German cities, passengers can rest assured that they won’t face strikes at Deutsche Bahn this year at least.
Last Friday, DB and the German train drivers’ union (GDL) reached a collective bargaining agreement without any strikes taking place – something that has not happened since 2018.
The deal includes pay rises and runs until the end of 2027, alongside longer negotiation phases and peace obligations. The agreement in place means that passengers are unlikely to face major strikes on DB services (which include S-Bahn trains) in the next year or two.
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Improving punctuality
Deutsche Bahn is sticking to its target of 60 percent punctuality for long‑distance services in 2026. But real improvement is likely to be gradual – and passengers should not expect miracles overnight.
CEO Palla insists it will take around ten years to get Germany’s railways “back in order”. The core problem, in her view, is a network that is both outdated and overloaded after decades of underinvestment.
For now the national railway in partnership with the federal government is sticking to a plan to renovate more than 40 major routes by 2036. Many of these repairs require closing busy railway corridors for months at a time.
READ ALSO: Work on Berlin–Hamburg railway delayed for weeks due to winter weather
In top-line numbers, this year, DB plans to spend more than 23 billion euros. After around 26,000 construction sites in 2025, there are expected to be 28,000 this year.
Focus on the pleasures of train travel
While there is no easy and immediate solution to DB’s reliability issues, Palla’s suggest that she wants rail travel to once again stand for “mobility, freedom and even a way of life”.
Sitting by the window, reading a book or simply watching the landscape go by should be a relaxing experience. The fact that it often feels more like rather than an exercise in endurance is, according to Palla, one reason why “people have often forgotten the appeal of railways”.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
