The agreement allows Germany’s largest rail freight operator to proceed largely with its existing restructuring programme, according to MM Logistik, citing comments made by DB Cargo CEO Bernhard Osburg to Reuters.
DB Cargo aims to implement most of the reductions without compulsory redundancies. Employees are expected to be offered other positions within the wider Deutsche Bahn group, while many of those affected are approaching retirement age.
“It remains broadly the case that we will cut 6,200 positions at DB Cargo in Germany by 2030,” Osburg said. “We also want to generate additional growth, but the economic environment is currently working against us.”
Almost half of the affected positions are linked to single-wagonload transport. Further reductions are planned in planning and dispatching as well as administration.
DB Cargo also intends to close around half of the sites currently used to repair and maintain freight trains. The company plans to concentrate work at fewer locations and increase their utilisation.
Planning and dispatching will move towards a more decentralised structure. Single-wagonload operations will also be reorganised from 2027 around four primary hubs in Seelze, Cologne, Nuremberg and Mannheim, supported by five secondary locations.
“They will carry the main workload in the future,” Osburg said. “We also want to improve train frequencies so that if a connection is missed, customers wait only a few hours rather than several days.”
Single-wagonload transport, which is particularly important for the steel industry, remains dependent on public funding. The current German federal budget provides around €300 million for the sector in 2026, although this is expected to fall to approximately €240 million in later years.
Osburg said DB Cargo needs long-term certainty and called for the support scheme to be continued beyond 2030.
The company’s existing savings programme has a volume of around €1 billion. DB Cargo is now reviewing further measures and whether parts of the programme can be implemented more quickly.
Despite higher energy prices and weaker economic forecasts, Osburg said DB Cargo still expects a positive net result for the full year 2026. The company reported an operating loss of €7 million in 2025, substantially lower than in the previous year.
