Union faction deputy calls for rail boss Lutz to be sacked
"The delays of Deutsche Bahn during the EM are a major inconvenience. Both Union and SPD agree on this. Bahn-CEO Lutz sees things differently. Union fraction vice Lange is now demanding consequences.
In light of the poor punctuality rates of Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the issues during the Football European Championship, Union fraction vice Ulrich Lange is calling for personnel consequences for the board of the corporation. Bahn-CEO Richard Lutz and his board could not simply continue as if nothing had happened, Lange told "Augsburger Allgemeinen". "In football terms, some board members need to be sent off." The red card should also apply to Bahn-CEO Lutz.
"The Bahn is not a business card for Germany", Lange told the newspaper further. "We have massive problems with construction site management, information and service." The ongoing series of bankruptcies, bad luck and malfunctions can only be attributed to insufficient investments, but is also a management problem.
Lutz showed little self-criticism during a supervisory board meeting, as reported by TableMedia. One could be very, very satisfied with everything that has happened at the Bahn so far, Lutz is quoted as saying. We have enough personnel and trains in operation. The statements were met with astonishment among the meeting participants.
Not only fans are affected by the train failures. Even the Austrian national team had to endure a train breakdown. EM-tournament director Philipp Lahm also came to a late game with the Bahn. The Dutch team publicly complained that there was no ICE train from Berlin after 21:00 to Wolfsburg.
Also SPD fraction vice Detlef Mueller criticized the DB management: The federal government is providing billions of euros for the upcoming corridor renovations on the rail network - "the Bahn must effectively use these funds to increase reliability in the network again", Mueller told "Rheinische Post". The corporation must "consistently bring clear improvements to the infrastructure and operation".
Regarding the EM, Mueller said: "The delays are a major inconvenience. Passengers rightly expect punctual and functioning trains." However, June was also influenced by external factors such as flood damage on the railway tracks and additional passengers due to the EM.
The chairman of the railway union EVG, Martin Burkert, told "Augsburger Allgemeinen" that the punctuality target of 70 percent could no longer be achieved this year. "In terms of punctuality in long-distance traffic, we were at about 55 percent in June. That was also due to the downpours and flooding." To reach the targeted 70 percent for the entire year, DB would have to achieve significantly better values of 77 percent in the remaining months, in order to make up the shortfall. "That will not be possible." In the second half of the year, new construction sites will come into operation, which will cause further delays in train traffic."
Lange, being a member of the Union parliamentary group and vice of the fraction, is urging consequences for Bahn-CEO Lutz due to the poor performance of German Railways during the EM. In response to the critical statements, Lutz displayed little self-criticism during a supervisory board meeting, leading to astonishment among the attendees.
