Internal missive reveals criticism from DB council head toward Schnieder
Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national railway company, is set to present a new strategy on Monday in Berlin, with Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder at the helm. However, the announcement comes amidst uncertainty over the successor for the outgoing CEO, Richard Lutz, whose contract was ended prematurely by Minister Schnieder.
According to reports, neither Bahn managers nor ministry circles expect a successor for Lutz to be found in time for the publication of the new strategy. Until a new CEO is appointed, Lutz will continue in his role as outgoing CEO.
The works council of Deutsche Bahn has urged the federal government to bring stability to the company and provide adequate financing for its infrastructure needs. Heike Moll, works council chairwoman, criticized the federal government's stance on infrastructure financing as contradictory, stating that it is equally contradictory as the premature termination of Richard Lutz's contract.
Moll accused Minister Schnieder of causing "additional unrest" by ending Lutz's contract prematurely. The works council's call for stability and adequate financing is in response to the perceived contradictions in the federal government's stance on infrastructure financing and the premature termination of Lutz's contract.
Minister Schnieder announced that he would first address the strategy, then the personnel. It is uncertain if Minister Schnieder will also present a new CEO for Deutsche Bahn during the strategy presentation.
The likely candidates to assume the new CEO position of Deutsche Bahn before the new rail strategy is presented on Monday in Berlin include Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, who is considered the favorite, Martin Seidenberg, current CEO of International Distributions Services (Royal Mail’s holding), and Tim Scharwath from Deutsche Post; an internal candidate with strong chances is Evelyn Palla, head of DB Regionalverkehr.
The federal government acknowledges the need for infrastructure financing but does not want to fully finance it. This stance has been a source of criticism from Deutsche Bahn's works council, who believe that the federal government should fulfill its responsibilities to the company.
The new strategy presentation on Monday promises to be a significant event in the future of Deutsche Bahn. With the works council calling for stability and adequate financing, and the uncertainty surrounding the CEO succession, the event is sure to be closely watched by all parties involved.
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