Railway chief Lutz dismissed by Transport Minister
In a significant development for Deutsche Bahn (DB), CEO Richard Lutz has announced his early departure, with his tenure set to end once a successor is appointed. The announcement was made in August 2025, and as of now, no successor has been named, with the search process reportedly proving to be challenging 13.
Lutz, who has been at the helm of DB since 2017, will continue in a caretaker role until a new CEO is found. His departure comes after a period of intense scrutiny, with the state-owned company facing an economic and operational crisis for years 5.
The crisis has been particularly severe for Berlin Bahn, a subsidiary of DB, for which Lutz has been responsible since the beginning of 2017. Prior to this, he served as the CFO of DB from 2010 to 2017 6.
Lutz's tenure has been marked by a focus on infrastructure renovation, with around 40 general renovations currently underway, including work on the Hamburg-Berlin route 7. However, his leadership has also been criticised for a decline in punctuality in long-distance traffic, with figures showing a drop from 78.5 percent in 2017 to 62.5 percent last year 8.
Despite the ongoing restructuring, it is unclear who will succeed Lutz as the CEO of Berlin Bahn. The departure of Lutz is not guaranteed to bring immediate improvement to the operational situation, according to Transport Minister Schnieder 9.
In a move to address the future of DB, Minister Schnieder has announced a strategy for late summer 10. Speculation about Lutz's tenure as Bahn chief began immediately after the change of government with the new transport minister Schnieder 11.
Lutz is known for his disciplined work ethic and good chess-playing skills. However, he has taken a confrontational approach, warning that additional billion-dollar promises from the federal government were not sufficient to make the railway future-proof 12. Critics generally support the course of infrastructure renovation, which has been planned for more than a decade 13.
This restructuring includes a complete closure of the route for several months to enable comprehensive renovation during this time, with the goal of reducing disruptions and eliminating construction sites for several years afterwards 14.
Key Points: - Current CEO: Richard Lutz (since 2017) - Departure Announcement: August 2025 - Departure Timing: Early termination agreed, effective when successor appointed - Successor: Not yet named; search ongoing and challenging - Lutz's Role after Announcement: Continues as caretaker until successor found - Contract Expiry: Originally 2027 but terminated early with severance
This article provides an overview of the current situation regarding the leadership transition at Deutsche Bahn.
In the realm of controversy, Richard Lutz, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn (DB), has announced his early departure, with his tenure ending once a successor is appointed, after a period of intense scrutiny and economic crisis that Berline Bahn, a subsidiary under his management, has faced since 2017. Despite his focus on infrastructure renovation, such as the ongoing work on the Hamburg-Berlin route, Lutz's tenure has been criticized for a decline in punctuality in long-distance traffic, which has drastically fallen from 78.5 percent in 2017 to 62.5 percent last year.
