Eleven days after the brutal attack in which Deutsche Bahn (DB) employee Serkan Çalar lost his life on a regional train, federal authorities, German states, trade unions, and transport industry representatives agreed on an “Action Plan for More Safety on the Railways.”
A security summit was convened by DB CEO Evelyn Palla.
Bodycams for staff in direct contact with passengers
Among the measures announced, DB will equip all employees in direct contact with the public – on regional and long-distance trains, as well as in stations – with bodycams from 2026. Their use will be voluntary.
The company will also supplement station security personnel with 200 agents and improve individual protective equipment for employees. Conflict management and de-escalation training courses will be expanded.
The emergency button (“Prio-Ruf”), which already exists for staff, will be developed and expanded to enable faster intervention in critical situations.
Changes to ticket inspection
Within DB Regio, ticket inspection will be adapted according to the principle of “staff safety before verification.” From March 1, 2026, ticket inspectors will decide whether or not to request identification during ticket checks.
At the political level, there are also discussions about waiving identity checks for the national “Deutschlandticket” pass, in parallel with increasing security against fraud.
More video surveillance and AI-assisted analysis
The joint plan includes:
- expanding video surveillance in trains and stations;
- adding more staff on regional trains;
- AI-assisted video and audio analysis for early risk identification;
- strengthening criminal protection for employees so that attacks against them are punished more severely.
DB and the German Federal Police will continue their 25-year partnership to maintain order in railway areas.
Over 3,000 assaults in a single year
The data for 2025 shows the extent of the phenomenon: 3,262 physical assaults on DB employees (attempted and actual) were recorded.
Although the figure is slightly lower than in the previous year, the long-term trend is clearly upward: the number of assaults has increased by 37% over the last ten years (2016: 2,374 cases).
Cases of serious bodily harm account for 1–2% of the total, but verbal and physical incidents are frequent, especially during ticket inspections, when enforcing internal regulations, or after mass events.
The authorities and the railway company will determine the concrete steps for implementing the measures by the end of April 2026.
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