Deutsche Bahn Chief Executive Evelyn Palla has blamed a legacy of "organized irresponsibility" among former management for the state railway's persistent reliability problems, as the company reported first-half long-distance punctuality of just 58.7%. Palla, who took office in October 2025, called the figure "not good" and set a target of at least 60% for 2026.
Presenting the half-year results on Thursday, Palla said past leadership centralized decisions without accountability for execution and drew few consequences for repeated missed targets. She has launched a restructuring to streamline headquarters and cut management roles, while exempting frontline staff — drivers, conductors, and dispatchers — whom she called "my heroes." Regional services performed better, with 88% punctuality in the first half.
Despite the delays, Deutsche Bahn posted a record roughly 960 million passengers and its first profit in seven years. Palla said the railway's 2035 bicentennial should mark the year the worst of the overhaul is behind it.