Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) rail freight arm DB Cargo will have a new look as of 1 January 2025. One business unit will oversee the steel, automotive, liquids and bulk, and Full-Load Solutions, while a second one will take care of combined transport (CT).

DB mentioned the new initiative in their half-year financial report, but rumours about a possible internal division were already surfacing in March. The first business unit will be named Rail Logistics. The second one, will have two subdivisions, one for maritime CT and the other one for continental CT. “The sectors are responsible for the economic results of their services and quality”, DB explained.

Both divisions will have rolling stock and personnel assigned to them. According to DB, this initiative should lead to “simpler processes and more efficient use of locomotives and personnel”, increasing productivity. One remaining question mark concerns traction services. “In the future, the sector units of DB Cargo AG will provide traction services with their own staff and production resources if this is profitable, otherwise they will be outsourced to external rail transport companies”, DB explained.