Former Thyssenkrupp Steel CEO to lead DB Cargo turnaround
According to the German Press Agency (DPA), Bernhard Osburg, who led steelmaker Thyssenkrupp until April 2024, is in line to replace Sigrid Nikutta as chief executive of DB Cargo. The supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn is expected to decide on 30 October.
Nikutta has faced mounting pressure over DB Cargo’s losses, which reached EUR 520 million (EBIT) in 2024. Transport performance fell 7% year-on-year as cost cuts and capacity reductions took hold. Germany’s transport ministry and rail unions have grown impatient with the lack of turnaround progress.
Osburg spent 22 years at Thyssenkrupp, most recently as CEO of its Steel Europe division. His appointment would signal a shift toward operational discipline and industrial restructuring—a model potentially suited to DB Cargo’s entrenched cost and efficiency challenges.
Why it matters
DB Cargo operates Europe’s largest rail freight network and is central to the EU’s modal shift ambitions under the Green Deal. A leadership change could reset strategy for cross-border corridors from Rotterdam to Genoa and the North Sea–Baltic axis.
What’s next
The supervisory board meets 30 October in Berlin. If confirmed, Osburg would likely announce a new operational plan within the first 100 days, potentially including further workforce restructuring and asset reviews.