German Transport Minister wants to link rail executive salaries to performance targets

German Federal Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger is pushing to tie the salaries of Deutsche Bahn's top executives to the company's punctuality performance. Bilger expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current state of train timeliness, calling the existing rates "completely insufficient."

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I want us to achieve a noticeable improvement in punctuality at the Bahn. The current values are completely insufficient.

"I want us to achieve a noticeable improvement in punctuality at the Bahn," Bilger stated in an interview with Bild am Sonntag. He emphasized that executive bonuses will be directly impacted if the federal government's set targets are not met. "Customers and taxpayers have a right to have their success truly measured," he added, while acknowledging the good work of many Bahn employees.

The plan involves setting specific performance goals for management within a new agreement concerning federal infrastructure funding. Bilger acknowledged that achieving 100% punctuality is currently unrealistic. The primary focus for improvement is on long-distance services, with a target of 70% punctuality by 2029.

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It will specifically affect the bonus payments of Bahn managers if the goals set by the federal government are not met.

In the first half of the year, only about 60% of long-distance trains were on time. This figure dropped further in the hot summer months, with July's punctuality rate at just under 53%. Factors contributing to these delays include infrastructure disruptions, ongoing construction, and recent heatwaves. Bilger recently took over as Transport Minister in a late July cabinet reshuffle.

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Customers and taxpayers have a right to have their success truly measured.