ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Germany's state-owned railway company is to significantly increase the number of cleaners it employs on board as part of a bid to improve the passenger experience.

Deutsche Bahn will double the number of cleaners it deploys to 220 daily on the most heavily-used routes under its new programme entitled "More Comfort on Long-Distance Trains". The move is being backed by the German federal government and will benefit from a EUR 20 million investment in 2026.

Dedicated cleaning crews will also be positioned at selected stations to carry out rapid interventions. And carpet cleaning cycles on Intercity-Express high-speed trains will be increased by 50 per cent.

Federal transport minister Patrick Schnieder said Deutsche Bahn had set itself a decisive course to create better railways.

"Many measures - such as the modernisation of the network - take time," he said. "But there are also many things that can be improved immediately such as cleanliness and safety."

Other focuses of the programme will include on-board reliability and catering availability across Deutsche Bahn's long-distance network.

Mobile maintenance teams will also be stationed at four hubs - Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin - to address faults in on-board catering and sanitary facilities. Preventive replacement of failure-prone components in toilets is also being planned to reduce service restrictions.

Passengers are expected to begin to see improvements throughout the year. The programme forms part of a broader federal initiative to improve customer experience in rail, alongside measures targeting station cleanliness and safety and enhanced passenger communication.