Germany’s Deutsche Bahn presents ‘restart’ as major delays hit Berlin

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn is getting a “restart,” Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder said on Monday, as he presented the railway operator’s new strategy to tackle years of decline.

The country’s rail network has developed a reputation for poor service, delays and creaking infrastructure in recent years.

Illustrating the scale of the problems facing Deutsche Bahn, an issue to an overhead line caused massive disruption to rail traffic between Hamburg and Berlin on Monday as Schnieder outlined the new strategy in the capital.

“Many people equate the non-functioning of the railway with the non-functioning of our state,” said the minister, who took office as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government in May.

“I find that extremely dangerous,” he added. “We have to show that our state works and that our railway works.”

A new chief executive is to be appointed, with Evelyn Palla – previously responsible for regional traffic – to replace Richard Lutz after eight years at the helm.

Schnieder set out three “immediate programmes for a better travel experience,” including better security at train stations, improvements to the DB Navigator app, and improved cleanliness in long-distance trains.

He also announced that existing punctuality targets, which he described as “beyond all reality,” would be lowered in the coming years.

The new aim is for 70% of long-distance trains to run on time by the end of 2029, with a long-term target for punctuality to reach 90%.

In the first half of the year, more than one-third of long-distance trains in the country were delayed by at least six minutes.

Germany’s main railway lines are currently undergoing an ambitious renovation programme, with 40 busy tracks to be modernized by 2036.

In the intervening years, passengers face ongoing delays due to breakdowns in old infrastructure, as highlighted by Monday’s issue on the line between Hamburg and Berlin.

Trains between the two cities have been cancelled, with passengers advised to travel via Hanover, where trains were running with delays of up to 50 minutes.

Palla admitted on Monday: “This is not a sprint. The refurbishment of the railway’s infrastructure is a marathon.”