Overview
- Deutsche Bahn announced the plan on Sunday to invest €210 million through 2030 to turn its February Sofortprogramm against dirt and vandalism into a permanent 'XXL‑Wash' initiative.
- The program will double the number of staff who clean long‑distance train toilets to 220 and schedule intensive hand‑washes of ICE and IC trains at the Berlin‑Rummelsburg works that can last up to ten hours.
- Operational steps include continuing 44 mobile maintenance teams, expanded graffiti and large‑area cleaning, and a staged expansion of station alcohol bans that DB says will reach thousands of stations by mid‑October.
- Early results from the short‑term effort showed measurable gains — about 17,000 m² of graffiti removed, cleaning of an area equal to roughly 200 football fields and a reported 25% drop in onboard‑toilet faults — but long‑distance punctuality remains low at roughly 53 percent.
- The package targets passenger experience and safety by cutting litter, visible damage and conflicts, yet it does not address core infrastructure and timetable constraints that drive system‑wide delays.