Vacant manager post
Germany is looking for the railway chief – who will succeed Richard Lutz?
A new train manager is needed. Time is urging because there are many challenges. There are some candidates – are there possibly even a train manager for the first time?
One of the most lucrative, but also the most demanding manager post in Germany is free. Richard Lutz has to vacate his place as head of railway, the 61-year-old only continues to work before a successor is found. Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder did not yet have it when he announced the separation of Lutz after eight years.
Who will decide on the new train manager?
Deutsche Bahn is a stock corporation, but is a hundred percent of state -owned. The Federal Ministry of Transport is responsible. Richard Lutz’s successor will therefore also be selected and determined there. Once you have found a new CEO at the political level, this will be officially confirmed by the Supervisory Board of the Bahn. However, this is only considered a matter of form.
By when should a successor be determined?
As long as Richard Lutz’s successor is not regulated, there is a leadership vacuum on the train. The change at the top was quite foreseeable, as the reorganization of the railway board is anchored in the coalition agreement. Minister of Transport Schnieder is therefore under pressure and has set himself September 22nd as a deadline. On this day the CDU politician wants to present a new strategy for the rail system.
What must the train manager be able to do?
Much, because the challenges are varied. “As CEO, we need a maker with real manager qualities that have grown the complex challenges at DB,” said Transport Secretary Ulrich Lange (CSU) of the “Augsburg Allgemeine”. The most important point should be punctuality and – closely associated with it – customer satisfaction. In 2024, the long -distance trains of the railway drove as unpunctual than in 21 years. Minister of Transport Schnieder called the “dramatic” situation on Thursday and formulated the expectations: “The train must be on time, safe and clean.”
It is also important to get the dilapidated infrastructure back into shape. RAnd 40 particularly stressed routes are to be subjected to general renovation by 2036. State Secretary Long speaks of a “decade of renovation”. In addition, the railway is not economically good, writes red numbers for years. Here, too, the new railway chief should show skill – of course all of this in interaction with politics.
Who are the candidates?
According to a report by the “Handelsblatt”, the Ministry of Transport has hired a headhunter to find suitable candidates. So far, some names are circulating. An internal solution would be possible, for example with Evelyn Palla, currently head of the DB Regio, or Sigrid Nikutta, director of the freight transport division DB Cargo. There has never been a railway chief.
Who will follow Richard Lutz at Deutsche Bahn?
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capital
The obvious
Name: Evelyn Palla
Age: 52 years
Previous job: Board of the Regional Transport of Deutsche Bahn AG
What speaks for you: Palla brings experience from the management consultancy McKinsey and the Austrian Federal Railways, where things are going better than with Deutsche Bahn. She is also familiar with the rail structure
What speaks against them: She is politically poorly networked
© Andreas Arnold / Picture Alliance
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Further
Again and again the names of short-term finance minister Jörg Kukies (SPD), ex-telekom boss René Obermann or Michael Peter, head of Siemens Mobility. The Pro Bahn passenger association has already committed itself and is committed to the current managing director of the Hamburg Transport Association HVV, Anna-Theresa Korbutt. Korbutt was at least not averse.
It remains to be seen which candidate is awarded the contract – and if you want to do the job at all.
EPP
Source: Stern
