Transport Minister Aims to Link Bonus Payments to Railway Targets
Germany's new Federal Minister of Transport, Steffen Bilger, is increasing pressure on Deutsche Bahn's leadership. In response to the ongoing punctuality crisis plaguing the state-owned railway company and criticism over multi-million euro payments, the CDU politician announced in Bild am Sonntag that consequences would be applied to executive board salaries.
"It will directly affect the bonus payments of railway managers if the targets set by the federal government are not met. I believe that railway customers and taxpayers have a right to have success truly measured."
Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU)
The minister emphasized that while many railway employees are doing excellent work, unsatisfactory performance will impact compensation. The federal government is currently preparing a new financing agreement with the state-owned company, which will precisely outline the billions allocated for rail infrastructure. These funds will be linked to specific targets in the future.
Bilger considers achieving complete punctuality to be unrealistic for the foreseeable future. "100 percent will not be achievable in the foreseeable future," stated the CDU politician to the newspaper. The focus will be on long-distance transport. "It is currently agreed with the railway that by 2029, 70 percent of long-distance trains will be on time." In the first half of the year, approximately 60 percent of long-distance trains were punctual, with even fewer in the peak summer months.
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