The head of Germany's national railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB), Evelyn Palla, has criticized the company's decision-making culture, describing it as 'organized irresponsibility'. In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Palla said central management often made major decisions at the operational level without bearing responsibility for their implementation.

'The people in the headquarters, who made those decisions, don't have any responsibility for implementing them in the field,' Palla said. 'They have to be implemented by colleagues who are out there. But they say "I didn't make this call, and it also doesn't work for me." Then the headquarters says "I have no operational responsibility, those people in the field did not implement [the decision] properly." In the end it was something like organized irresponsibility.'

Palla, who took over as DB's CEO in October 2025, said much has been 'reformed' and 'slimmed down' since then, with multiple administration levels cut. However, she admitted that this alone would not improve the railway. 'Things will only change when the management changes, when decentralized units take responsibility and live with it,' she added.

She also stated that Germany's rail network had been 'run into the ground by 25 years of saving money' and that tangible improvements would take time. She pointed to DB's 200th anniversary in 2035, saying 'this should be the year when the worst is behind us.'

The remarks come as DB reported that only 58.7% of its long-distance trains arrived on time in the first half of the year. Palla acknowledged the figure was 'not a good figure' and that there was 'no point trying to gloss over it.' She noted that in three-quarters of cases, delays were less than 15 minutes. DB considers a train delayed if it arrives at least six minutes late.

Palla has set a punctuality target of at least 60% for this year and has streamlined the company by cutting several management positions. DB has also begun overhauling key lines to improve services, which have long been criticized by passengers and politicians alike.

Source: www.dw.com