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New Deutsche Bahn CEO Unveils 'Complete Reset' With Headquarters Cuts and Local Decision-Making

She promises customer-visible fixes while acknowledging that prolonged network upgrades continue to depress punctuality.

Overview

  • Evelyn Palla, who took over on October 1 as the company’s first female CEO, vowed to review every headquarters role for customer value and reduce bureaucracy.
  • Decision-making will shift from the Berlin Bahntower to regional managers, with Palla describing on-the-ground staff as the backbone of the company.
  • She pledged cleaner trains and stations, reliably open on-board bistros, and a more comfortable experience as near-term priorities.
  • DB will add a digital construction notifier in the DB Navigator app to help passengers plan around disruptions and better reflect work sites in journey information.
  • Palla reaffirmed the long horizon for the Generalsanierung program—major corridor renewals running to 2036—after on-time performance fell to about 62% for long-distance services, with federal targets set at a minimum 70% by end-2029.