Union demands immediate change of leadership at Deutsche Bahn!

The Union has called for a quick change at the top of Deutsche Bahn. Group deputy Ulrich Lange (CSU) expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of the board of directors and supervisory board. Above all, the poor punctuality and the condition of the rail network are criticized. Because of this, Lange is calling for the railway board to be slimmed down by a third; The committee currently has eight members.

The coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD aims to reorganize the supervisory board and board of directors of Deutsche Bahn and InfraGO. The aim is to reflect more specialist expertise and achieve a more efficient structure. Richard Lutz, who has been CEO of Deutsche Bahn since March 2017 and whose contract runs until March 2027, could be affected by this realignment. Werner Gatzer, the chairman of the supervisory board, was formerly state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Criticism of punctuality and financial situation

Deutsche Bahn only recorded a punctuality rate of 62.5 percent for long-distance trains in 2022. In addition, the rail network is in severe disrepair, which will require extensive renovation work in the coming years and is associated with high costs. Furthermore, Deutsche Bahn suffered another billion-dollar deficit in 2022, as well stern.de reported.

At the same time, the railway is confronted with problems such as an increase in violence against employees. Last year there were around 3,300 physical attacks on railway employees, which corresponds to an increase of almost six percent compared to the previous year. Lutz is also calling for an investment of 150 billion euros to modernize the company in order to make up for the backlogs in the infrastructure and improve punctuality.