Overview

• Evelyn Palla won a simple‑majority vote on the supervisory board and will take office on 1 October on a five‑year contract.
• Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder’s plan resets long‑distance punctuality to at least 70% by end‑2029, with medium‑term 80% and long‑term 90% targets plus three immediate customer programs.
• The reform keeps multiyear corridor overhauls through 2036 and seeks greater operational independence for InfraGo, with a decision on the control agreement targeted for the first half of 2026.
• EVG’s votes against Palla were a protest over Schnieder’s choice of Dirk Rompf for InfraGo; the union aims to block Rompf in an upcoming InfraGo board decision.
• Officials and reports cite a deteriorated and overloaded rail network as the core driver of poor punctuality, leaving key elements of the overhaul contingent on governance and funding choices still to come.