Feb 13, 2026, 11:13 am02/13/2026, 11:14
The head of Deutsche Bahn, Evelyn Palla, wants to equip all employees with customer contact on long-distance transport and at train stations with body cameras on a voluntary basis this year.
The head of Deutsche Bahn, Evelyn Palla, makes a statement at Berlin Central Station after the fatal incident.Image: keystone
This is one of the immediate measures to protect rail workers that Palla announced at a security summit she convened in Berlin, as the German Press Agency (dpa) learned from participants. When asked, the railway referred to a press conference in the afternoon.
Representatives from the federal and state governments as well as trade unions, associations and local public transport authorities have been taking part in the safety summit since morning. He was called up after a fatal attack on a 36-year-old train conductor on February 2nd.
The case caused great horror across Germany. The train attendant was attacked by a passenger who did not have a ticket and should therefore be expelled from the train. The 36-year-old suffered such severe head injuries that he died in a clinic. The alleged attacker, a 26-year-old Greek, is in custody.
The union is also calling for double staffing on regional trains
With this measure, Palla is taking up a key demand from the Railway and Transport Union (EVG). This calls for the widespread use of body cameras, including sound recording. This should also make verbal attacks on employees better documented and traceable. Customer-facing employees in regional transport can already receive and wear body cameras.
The Railway and Transport Union (EVG) is also pushing for two train attendants to check tickets on regional trains across the board in the future, instead of just one, as is often the case in the past.
According to information from Deutsche Bahn, there were a total of around 3,000 physical attacks on employees of the company last year. That was a slight decrease compared to the previous year. But the feeling of security within the workforce has deteriorated significantly, emphasized the EVG. She refers to her own survey of around 4,000 employees from last year. (hkl/sda/dpa)