German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has a new CEO, Evelyn Palla, and she’s given some blunt news to anyone expecting a quick improvement in DB’s dismal on-time record: Don’t expect rapid change.
On the positive side, though, she announced that there will be a real effort to make time on the system more pleasant, with a budget of €20 million a year for such changes as doubling cleaning staff on busy trains, setting up mobile repair teams at major stations to quickly repair train toilets, making more coffee and snack service available on board and a ‘spring cleaning for stations.’
That number pales compared to the 10-year €23 billion estimate to bring the railroad’s operations up to a standard that is currently so far off that 60% on-time service is a goal, not a minimum for German trains. Pella says that the network is outdated and overloaded after decades of underinvestment and deferred maintenance. The long-term plan will involve closing some routes for months at a time, with service taking longer alternate routes.
