DB Regio is preparing further safety measures for regional passenger services, after more than 3,000 attacks on Deutsche Bahn employees were recorded in 2025.
The measures come after several serious incidents involving railway staff, including the fatal attack on DB employee Serkan Çalar during a ticket inspection on a regional train near Kaiserslautern in February 2026. His death triggered a wider debate in Germany about the protection of frontline railway employees and led DB to accelerate several safety measures.
The update was presented at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof by Harmen van Zijderveld, CEO of DB Regio AG, together with Ralf Damde, Chairman of the General Works Council of DB Regio AG.
“Fear has no place in our trains. We cannot change social developments, but we can make sure that our trains are places of safety and respect in public space — for employees and passengers,” said Harmen van Zijderveld.
According to DB Regio, physical attacks in nationwide regional transport fell by 7% in 2025 compared with 2024. However, the regional picture is uneven. In the central region, covering Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and northern Baden, physical attacks increased by 15% over the same period.
DB Regio is therefore testing new staffing models in cooperation with public transport authorities, transport associations and employee representatives. These include so-called 1/1 accompaniment, where customer service staff are supported by an additional person with security knowledge, as well as double staffing in customer service.
Van Zijderveld said both approaches have shown that conflict situations can be handled more effectively and are ready for use beyond the pilot region. Damde pointed to the “Tandemstreife” pilot in the RMV area, saying that deploying security staff alongside customer service employees was “the right step” and should become part of regular operations.
From July, DB Regio will also start a trial with stab-resistant protective vests as part of expanded personal protective equipment for customer service staff. The company has also extended mandatory de-escalation training nationwide with a new module on self-assertion on trains.
Bodycams are another key element. According to DB Regio, in more than 500 incidents where bodycams had to be activated, only one case resulted in a serious attack. Wearing a bodycam remains voluntary for DB Regio employees, but the company is increasing training to encourage wider use.
The number of bodycams available has risen to 1,750 since February, and DB Regio expects all relevant employees to be trained by August. “Everyone who wants a bodycam will receive one,” van Zijderveld said.
DB Regio is also working on allowing audio recording in addition to video when bodycams are activated. The company expects this to improve both prevention and the investigation of offences, with a possible start from autumn.
A further step under review is the use of artificial intelligence. In future, camera images from trains could be transmitted in real time to a traffic control centre, where AI would identify conflicts, disorder or threatening situations and trigger faster intervention.
“The fact that AI use is technically and legally possible under data protection rules is shown by a pilot project in Bremen. We want to build on that. For our employees, this would be enormous support with a strong preventive effect,” said van Zijderveld.
Damde added that AI use is still at an early stage and remains prone to errors, but said that any tool capable of protecting employees should be considered.
