Evelyn Palla, CEO of Deutsche Bahn, has launched the 2026 restructuring plan, with the new corporate structure set to come into effect in January. Ten weeks after taking office, Palla aims to make major changes to the DB structure.
On December 10, the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG approved the group’s 2026 restructuring plan. From January 1, 2026, Palla will implement a new corporate structure with fewer departments, fewer units, and fewer managers. Further stages of the reorganisation will follow until the end of 2026. The aim of this restructuring is to create a much more efficient and, implicitly, more customer-friendly company, in which decisions are taken as close as possible to the operational activity and, thus, to the passengers.
The restructuring plan involves a clear decentralization of tasks and more autonomy in decision-making. The priority is for DB to become more agile, faster, and more customer-oriented. “With three immediate programs, we will ensure a better travel experience as early as 2026. Our customers will feel that things are starting to move at DB,” said Evelyn Palla.
With the group’s restart plan, DB is implementing a key element of the agenda for increasing customer satisfaction on the railways, announced by Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder on September 22, 2025, in Berlin.
The new company structure clarifies responsibilities, reduces hierarchical levels, and shortens work and decision-making processes.
Key measures of the restructuring plan
Reduction in the size of the Management Board: The group’s Management Board will have only six executive portfolios. The two portfolios dedicated to Technology/Digitalization and Infrastructure will be abolished. By clearly separating the public-interest-oriented DB InfraGO AG from purely commercial activities, Deutsche Bahn is ensuring a more transparent structure and a demarcation in line with federal government requirements.
Simplification of the organizational structure: Numerous functions and departments will be eliminated at the levels below the Executive Board. Deutsche Bahn will completely eliminate an intermediate level between the Board and the first line of management. It will also reduce the first line of management from 43 to 22 organizational units, thereby significantly reducing the total number of management positions.
Reduction of administrative staff: The process of reducing staff in central management will continue. Specific targets will be set in the course of next year. Affected employees will be offered new opportunities within the group’s internal job market.
Optimization of structures in the divisions: DB Fernverkehr and DB Regio will also simplify their decision-making structures. The independent marketing departments within their own executive boards will be abolished and their responsibilities redistributed to other portfolios.
New management board at DB InfraGO: This measure involves reducing the number of management board members from eight to six. In future, operations and construction will once again be combined into a single portfolio at management level – and at regional level there will be managers who will optimally coordinate line closures and operations for the benefit of all railway companies.
Quality control: A dedicated “quality management” function will report directly to the Chair of the DB Management Board in future. To ensure DB’s relaunch towards a more entrepreneurial, locally oriented mode of operation, the company is establishing a new quality and efficiency management system at all levels.
In addition, internal service providers, such as sales or rolling stock maintenance, will in future be consistently aligned with the needs of each business area.
Immediate programs for passengers
At the beginning of 2026, DB will launch immediate programs with rapid impact, aimed at significantly improving passenger information, cleanliness, and safety. DB will allocate more than EUR 140 million in additional funding for these measures alone in 2026.
In the first few months of the new year, DB Fernverkehr and DB InfraGO will directly and visibly implement concrete projects to improve quality. These aim to increase comfort on long-distance trains, improve communication with customers, and enhance safety and cleanliness in stations. For example, DB will introduce mobile cleaning teams, intensifying cleaning before and during the journey. Passengers should also be able to rely on the smooth functioning of on-board catering services and toilets.
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