Sigrid Nikutta has been appointed head the operative division of DB Cargo by Deutsche Bahn’s supervisory board. On Thursday 7 November, the Aufsichtsrat, the supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn, discussed the future of the ailing freight division of the railway company. It also considered the sale of DB Schenker, this has not been passed.

Nikutta (50) also worked in management positions at Deutsche Bahn in the past. She worked for DB Cargo between 2001 and 2010. At the time it was operating as DB Schenker Rail Deutschland AG. One of her responsibilities was overseeing unit train traffic. She moved to BVG in Berlin in 2010, where she was in charge of bus and rail transport in the German capital. She has now been recalled to remediate DB Cargo, which has suffered losses in the last few years.

Warning

Deutsche Bahn was recently given a warning by traffic minister Andreas Scheuer. Germany is the sole shareholder of DB and wants to finally intervene to put an end to the long-term losses at DB Cargo, a freight railway company. Scheuer said he wants to have clarity from the group top about the future strategy by 14 November.

The German Court of Audit, the Bundesrechnungshof, also called for the sale of DB Schenker in order to partly offset the debt of the entire Deutsche Bahn, which amounts to more than twenty billion euros. The division is a major forwarding agent for sea and air freight worldwide and also an operator of distribution centers and storage locations for shippers. 76,000 are employed at this division.

Rejection

The DB board of directors has so far opposed this sale, as well as the the divestment of DB Cargo. The fate of these business units will be decided today by the supervisory board, which includes representatives of the German state, employees and independent supervisors.