Evelyn Palla Appointed As First Female Ceo Of German Rail Db, Set To Lead Reform And Improve Punctuality

Published on September 24, 2025

On September 22, German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder confirmed nan assignment of Evelyn Palla arsenic nan caller Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of German Rail (DB). This announcement comes aft nan resignation of Dr Richard Lutz, who stepped down past period pursuing continued disapproval regarding DB’s financial and operational performance. Palla will officially return connected nan domiciled connected October 1, 2025.

Palla’s Career Path

Palla, 52, is an knowledgeable railway manufacture leader who has built an extended profession crossed respective salient organisations. Originally from Italy, she joined DB successful 2019 arsenic nan main financial serviceman of nan company’s long-distance rider division. In 2022, she was appointed arsenic a committee personnel responsible for location carrier astatine DB. Before joining DB, Palla worked astatine Infineon Technologies and E.on, wherever she held various roles successful Munich, Cologne, and Milan. She besides gained important acquisition astatine Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) from 2011.

At ÖBB, Palla made an indelible mark, serving arsenic an executive committee personnel for location carrier successful nan company’s rider subsidiary and chairing nan supervisory committee of ÖBB’s postal division. Palla’s activity astatine ÖBB played a important domiciled successful nan company’s affirmative financial results, which person earned her nan respect of colleagues successful nan industry. Notably, successful 2022, she qualified arsenic a driver, making her nan only committee personnel astatine DB pinch this unsocial skill.

New Goals for DB

During a property convention connected September 22, which coincided pinch nan German carrier ministry’s merchandise of a long-awaited study connected railway reform, Palla and Minister Schnieder outlined caller punctuality targets for DB’s long-distance services. For 2029, nan extremity is for 70% of services to beryllium connected time, pinch a medium-term target of 80% and a semipermanent extremity of 90%. Last year, DB saw an all-time debased successful punctuality for its long-distance services, signaling conscionable 62.5%. This mediocre capacity resulted successful DB paying retired €200 cardinal successful compensation for delays, a important load connected nan company’s finances. Palla’s activity will beryllium important successful improving these statistic and restoring nationalist assurance successful nan obstruction system.

Industry Reaction to Palla’s Appointment

Palla’s assignment has been met pinch affirmative feedback from nan obstruction industry. Both nan German Rail Freight Association (Die Güterbahnen) and Mofair, which represents backstage railway operators, expressed their assurance successful her expertise to lead DB done much-needed reforms. The organisations acknowledged that Palla is good alert of nan structural and image issues facing DB. Her past activity astatine ÖBB, wherever she contributed to nan occurrence of group-owned infrastructure without an overly ascendant approach, demonstrates her capacity to negociate DB’s analyzable building effectively.

About German Rail (DB)

German Rail (Deutsche Bahn aliases DB) is nan nationalist railway institution of Germany, serving arsenic a cornerstone of nan country’s proscription infrastructure. Established successful 1994, DB operates some rider and freight services, providing captious links betwixt cities, regions, and countries crossed Europe. The institution is known for its extended web of high-speed trains, including nan ICE (InterCity Express) services, which link awesome municipality centres pinch ratio and comfort. Beyond rider transport, DB besides plays a cardinal domiciled successful freight logistics, ensuring nan activity of equipment crossed Germany and into neighbouring countries. As portion of Germany’s committedness to sustainability, DB has been investing heavy successful greenish technologies and plans to make its full obstruction web carbon-neutral by 2050. The institution is besides focused connected modernising its infrastructure, improving punctuality, and integrating innovative technologies to heighten nan recreation acquisition for millions of passengers each year.

Looking Forward

Palla’s assignment arsenic DB’s first female CEO represents a important infinitesimal successful nan company’s history. Her activity will not only beryllium pivotal successful steering DB towards greater operational ratio but besides successful achieving nan eager goals group by nan German authorities for nan early of obstruction transport. Under her guidance, DB is expected to attraction connected improving punctuality, revitalising customer trust, and addressing soul challenges, specified arsenic restructuring nan company’s operations to guarantee amended work delivery,