"She’s Destroying the Company": Union Fury Erupts Over DB Cargo Chief Nikutta

Germany’s largest transport and logistics trade union, EVG, has called for the resignation of DB Cargo CEO and Chairwoman Sigrid Nikutta.

The EVG addressed a formal letter to Evelyn Palla, the newly appointed CEO of Deutsche Bahn, and Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board. In the letter, EVG Vice President and DB Cargo Supervisory Board Deputy Chair Cosima Ingenschay wrote that "the management record of Sigrid Nikutta at DB Cargo is catastrophic – losses of more than €3.1 billion since her appointment speak for themselves." She added, "What she calls transformation at DB Cargo is, in reality, headless liquidation."

Bei der Bahn eskaliert nach SPIEGEL-Informationen der nächste Konflikt: Die Gewerkschaft EVG fordert die Abberufung von Güterverkehrschefin Sigrid Nikutta. DB Cargo habe nur eine Zukunft, »wenn Frau Nikutta dort keine Zukunft mehr hat«. //t.co/whA6eAYmNx

— DER SPIEGEL (@derspiegel) October 13, 2025

Lost Trust and Declining Quality: DB Cargo in Deep Crisis

While employees work tirelessly to keep trains running, management is selling off company assets, placing key workers on hold with severance, and outsourcing tasks to third parties. The consequences are severe: falling quality, poor punctuality, and growing uncertainty. According to the union, DB Cargo urgently needs a strategy for recovery, not one leading to dismantling.

What once began with grand promises has now ended in disillusionment and stagnation. Hopes for a new beginning have vanished, growth has turned into decline, improvement into chaos, and instead of a future strategy, the company pursues cost-cutting and fragmentation.

DB Cargo remains the backbone of the German economy. Without it, "no blast furnace, steel mill, or car plant can operate," EVG stressed. Yet, instead of strengthening rail freight, Nikutta has focused on self-promotion and social media visibility. "Her energy goes into creating headlines, not solving problems," Ingenschay criticised.

The union made it clear that Nikutta has lost the confidence of employees: "It is clear that only a new strategic and personnel start can save DB Cargo. [...] The union stands for the employees, for the company, and for the future of rail freight in Germany. There can only be a future for DB Cargo if Ms Nikutta herself has no future at DB Cargo."

Government Target Is Clear, But DB Cargo Struggles

Germany’s Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder stated in the government’s new Railway Strategy that DB’s loss-making freight division must return to profitability by 2026. "The recovery measures of DB Cargo AG must continue — and, if necessary, be intensified," he said.

In the first half of 2025, DB Cargo transported 10% less freight, with revenues down 9% to €2.5 billion. Although operating losses narrowed to €96 million thanks to cost-saving measures, shrinking market share continues to limit the company’s long-term potential.

Private competitors now carry around 60% of Germany’s rail freight, leaving DB Cargo struggling to maintain its relevance. Recently, the company announced plans to sell approximately 6,000 freight wagons to GATX Rail Europe — assets it is expected to lease back afterwards.