US EditionGermany Sacks Rail Chief with Train Network in Crisis
Richard Lutz was dismissed after punctuality dropped from 78.5% to 62.5%, costing Deutsche Bahn nearly €200 million in compensation, as the government plans a major rail overhaul.
- Germany has fired the chief executive of its state-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn, Richard Lutz, due to the dramatic situation of customer dissatisfaction, lack of punctuality, and falling profitability.
- The German rail network is facing chronic underinvestment and infrastructure issues, with nearly 40% of long-distance trains being late last year.
- The German government plans to present a major plan in late September to fix the crumbling rail network, and has established a €500 billion fund to address broader infrastructure problems.
111 Articles
111 Articles
Richard Lutz is supposed to be employed by the railway until 2027 after his throw out as railway chief – that is the federal government of taxpayers and the FDP.
Deutsche Bahn has long been a restructuring case. The German government has now changed its head of the group.
Railway chief Lutz is dismissed, the search for succession has begun. But who wants to run a company whose structures and peculiarities have created a variety of problems over decades? By Ingo Nathusius.
The German transport ministry has announced that Richard Lutz, the CEO of the struggling state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn, is resigning.
Train expert Christian Böttger assesses the departure of ex-Bahn boss Richard Lutz as more than just a "farmer's sacrifice". He criticizes that Lutz has covered up the problems for years. Böttger calls for better political control.
It is true that the railway boss has to go. He led the company into crisis and would not have pulled it out again. Nevertheless, the step seems bumpy – and not really thought through.
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