(de-news.net) – Following the fatal assault on a train conductor in early February, Deutsche Bahn has set out a series of enhanced safety measures directed at employees in customer-facing roles. The announcement was framed as a response to heightened concerns regarding occupational risk in passenger operations. Chief Executive Evelyn Palla indicated that, beginning in 2026, body cameras are to be made available to all personnel engaged in direct passenger contact, encompassing staff in regional and long-distance services as well as employees stationed at railway facilities. She further explained that consultations with the competent authorities would continue in order to clarify whether audio recording may be authorized during body camera deployment. In her assessment, the potential inclusion of sound recording would materially strengthen both the evidentiary basis for subsequent investigations and the preventive effect associated with visible security measures.
In parallel, the company intends to recruit an additional 200 security officers, while conducting a review to determine whether existing protective equipment requires modernization or reinforcement. Beyond personnel expansion, technical safeguards are also to be refined: the current assistance call system will undergo further development, and a dedicated emergency alert button is to be introduced for customer-service employees. Moreover, as of March 1, mandatory identity verification during ticket inspections at DB Regio will be discontinued. Palla noted that internal assessments had shown identity checks to carry a comparatively high potential for escalation in confrontational situations. Consequently, responsibility for requesting identification will be left to the discretion of the inspecting staff member, allowing situational judgment to guide enforcement practices.
Safety overhaul agreed upon following conductor’s killing
These initiatives were presented following consultations in Berlin involving representatives of Deutsche Bahn, the Federal Government, the German Federal States, and trade unions. Convened at the company’s invitation, the meeting culminated in a seven-point action plan designed to enhance safety standards across the rail network. A central component of this framework is the voluntary introduction of body cameras for all employees with customer contact in both regional and long-distance operations within the current year, thereby embedding the measure in day-to-day service environments.
The deliberations were prompted by a fatal incident in Rhineland-Palatinate, where a fare evader stabbed a 36-year-old conductor during a ticket inspection aboard a regional express train. The conductor later died from the injuries sustained. The nationwide attention generated by the case underscored the vulnerability of frontline rail personnel and reinforced the perceived urgency of strengthening protective measures for employees operating in direct interaction with passengers.
