DB Cargo CEO Bernhard Osburg recently revealed that the company had posted significant losses last year and was planning to reduce staff numbers by 6,200 by 2030, out of a current workforce consisting of some 14,000 staff. However, job cuts do not appear to be on the agenda at DB Cargo’s subsidiary in France, according to its head. Alexandre Gallo.
The measure implemented by DB Cargo will affect almost all areas, including train operations, dispatching, planning, administration, sales, and IT. In an interview with RailFreight.com, Gallo began by underlining that he was not in a position to comment on what was happening in Germany, adding that for the moment the annual results for the DB Cargo group have not been released.
But he went on to make it clear that in the event of DB Cargo reducing staff numbers in Germany, the French unit would not be affected in turn. “We had anticipated a decline in the volumes entrusted to us by our (German) colleagues, and they now represent only 25% of our business.
“The decline in staff numbers in Germany logically follows the decline in traffic volumes. These same volumes to and from the French and Spanish markets have been declining for four years (due to a combination of economic factors and the situation of DB Cargo in Germany). In France, we have offset the impact of a downturn in international volumes with domestic volumes and are thus able to maintain stable staffing levels.”
French subsidiary is in the black
In his interview with German media, Osburg also revealed that DB Cargo had recorded a 2025 full-year loss in the mid two-digit million euro range. An operating profit for the second half of last year had followed a 96-million-euro operating loss in the first six months.
However, it was likely that DB Cargo France had finished 2025 in the black, Gallo noted. “We are currently auditing the accounts for 2025, but I can already tell you that we are in positive position.” While admitting that it would be a major challenge, the DB Cargo group was aiming to post a net profit in the double-digit millions for 2026, Osburg added.
One thing that Gallo did not play down was the current economic climate DB Cargo France was operating in which he described as ”not very favourable.” This explained why the company was postponing the launch of its combined rail-road service between Paris and Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, in partnership with UK logistics company John G. Russell, from the first quarter of 2026 to later in the year.