Evelyn Palla, CEO of Deutsche Bahn, is demanding significantly increased funding for the existing railway network in the coming years. This requirement stems from corporate documents reported by the newspaper “Spiegel”, which indicate that at least 13 billion euros in additional capital will be necessary by 2030.
DB argues that without this substantial investment, the company will clearly fail to meet the 70 percent punctuality target. This goal is part of an agenda put forward by Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) and is set to be achieved by the end of 2029.
Internal simulations from Deutsche Bahn predict a sharp decline in the railway’s financial resources if the federal government maintains its current planning level. Furthermore, the company warns that punctuality could drop clearly below 60 percent by the end of the decade under these circumstances.
Conversely, DB states that the required 13 billion euros could enable the achievement of Schnieder’s 70 percent punctuality target. If the federal government allocated a sum of similar magnitude, the railway company contends that it would not only reach an additional five percentage points in punctuality but also accomplish other key objectives outlined in Schnieder’s rail agenda.
