Deutsche Bahn’s Chief Executive Officer, Evelyn Palla, has launched an ambitious organisational transformation plan—a “DB relaunch”—set to come into effect on 1 January 2026. The supervisory board has unanimously endorsed the new corporate structure, just ten weeks after Palla took office.
The restructuring aims to make the company more agile, efficient, and customer‑centred through a decentralisation of decision‑making. The executive board will be streamlined into six divisions, removing the departments of Technology and Digitalisation & Infrastructure. In addition, DB will eliminate an entire management layer between the executive board and the first leadership tier, cutting the number of organisational units from 43 to 22. This simplification will result in a 50% reduction in senior management positions.
As an immediate step, DB will invest over €140 million in 2026 through three rapid‑improvement programmes focused on customer experience. These initiatives include enhancements in station communication, cleanliness, and security; mobile cleaning teams operating onboard services; and guaranteed availability of catering and toilet facilities.
Palla described the change as “a journey of many small steps” towards restoring rail reliability. Modernising the rail infrastructure remains a long‑term goal. The reorganisation aligns with the customer satisfaction agenda introduced by Germany’s Transport Minister in September 2025.