Germany’s Deutsche Bahn (DB) says it will answer the federal government’s calls to improve the cleanliness of its trains as well as the quality and reliability of its onboard dining service.

On Friday, DB announced that train interiors will be cleaned more regularly, specifically their toilets and floors, and that maintenance of coffee machines and toilets will be carried out more frequently.

The €20 million ($24 million) program is to begin immediately and is designed to increase travel comfort for passengers. Busy connections will get more attention, with DB promising to deploy “special cleaning crews” at major train hubs along the way, with other crews traveling onboard.

DB says it will double cleaning personnel on highly frequented connections from 110 to 220.

What else do we know about DB’s initiative for extra comfort?

Moreover, DB says it will optimize the logistics of its food and drink services. To this end, it says it will create a network of specialized maintenance crews to keep coffee machines working while trains are en route.

“These experts will be on-call at four major train hubs — Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin,” said DB’s Michael Peterson, who oversees the provider’s long-distance network.  

The changes are part of Federal Transportation Minister Patrick Schnieder’s new “More Comfort on Long-distance Trains” program. 

Friday’s announcement addressed point 2 of Schnieder’s three-point plan. 

In January, improvements to the security and cleanliness of Germany’s train stations were initiated. A third area — deficiencies in customer service and punctuality are to be tackled next.  

DB has been plagued by poor service, dirty trains and long delays for years, much to the discomfort and inconvenience of its passengers. 

Though the effort to improve the first two points of Transport Minister Schnieder’s plan may happen more quickly, DB CEO Evelyn Palla warns delays will persist, pointing to crumbling infrastructure that will take years to modernize.