Attacks on employees of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn railway rose by around 6% in 2024, the transport company’s chief executive said on Friday.
“In the last year, there were around 3,300 physical assaults, around 6% more than in the previous year,” Richard Lutz told news portal t-online. “Every form of violence against employees is completely unacceptable.”
Around half of the attacks were against train employees in regional services, Lutz said. Other targets included cleaning staff, customer service employees and bus drivers.
“We are unfortunately a mirror of societal developments,” said Lutz.
Deutsche Bahn is increasingly offering employees in regular contact with passengers body cameras.
“These devices have proven themselves for security services and train personnel,” Lutz said.
Staff are also receiving de-escalation training, while trains are also being equipped with emergency alarms to call for help at short notice.
The rise in attacks came on a busy year for Deutsche Bahn, which struggled to deliver services on time during the summer’s football European Championships.