Overview
- Palla projects more than 28,000 construction and maintenance sites across the rail network in 2026, based on her interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- Deutsche Bahn expects about 26,000 works in 2025, roughly 5,000 more than in 2024.
- Since the summer, the company has observed faster-than-forecast deterioration of signal boxes, tracks, switches and overhead lines, leading to more slow zones and unplanned works.
- Long-distance punctuality is currently reported at 51.5 percent and is expected to average below 60 percent for 2025.
- Palla says her 2026 priority is to halt the slide and stabilize punctuality, warning that conditions will not improve quickly early on in her tenure.