German national rail freight operator DB Cargo is firing its CEO, Sigrid Nikutta, according to German publication Der Spiegel. Nikutta is set to leave her position at the end of the month, following criticism of her restructuring plans.
Der Spiegel has learned from company sources that Nikutta is to be dismissed on 30 October and that she will leave the operator. DB Cargo told RailFreight.com that it could not comment on the report.
Nikutta faced criticism from both within and outside DB Cargo. On Monday, DB Cargo finalised an internal report on Nikutta’s restructuring plans and whether or not it could continue.
Consultants came to the conclusion that that is not possible, Der Spiegel writes. “The current restructuring plan is […] objectively unsuitable for eliminating the causes of the crisis and restoring competitiveness […].”
Just last week, German trade union EVG called for the CEO’s resignation, saying that Nikutta was leading the company “into the abyss”. EVG was highly critical of the path that DB Cargo had taken by selling off assets, laying off personnel and outsourcing services. “The consequences are dramatic: declining quality, poor punctuality, and growing uncertainty. [DB] Cargo urgently needs a strategy for business development, not for business execution”, EVG said.
Bad results since taking office
Sigrid Nikutta took over leadership of DB Cargo in 2020, after which Deutsche Bahn’s freight problems kept growing worse. DB Cargo’s market share fell from 43% to 34%, and the company made operational losses of around three billion euros.
Those losses have always been compensated by state money through DB Cargo’s state-owned mother company Deutsche Bahn. However, the enormous amounts of financial support were disproportionate, according to the European Commission, who labeled it as “market distortion”. DB Cargo was subsequently obliged to become profitable in 2026, which prompted Nikutta’s restructuring plans.
Earlier, the Deutsche Bahn Group also got rid of its CEO, Richard Lutz, for mismanagement and the bad performance of the German railways. He has since been replaced by a new CEO, Evelyn Palla.