DB Cargo

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DB Cargo AG

Headquarters of DB Cargo (2020)
Trade name	DB Cargo
Company type	Private
Industry	Logistics
Founded	2009 (2009)
Headquarters	Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Key people	Sigrid Nikutta [de], CEO
Products	Rail Transport Maintenance
Revenue	€4.5 billion
Number of employees	29,525 (2019)
Parent	Deutsche Bahn
Subsidiaries	20 worldwide, including freight and contract logistics
Website	www.dbcargo.com

DB Cargo (previously known as Railion and DB Schenker Rail) is an international transport and logistics company. It is responsible for all of the rail freight transport activities of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn (the DB Group) both inside Germany and on a global level.^[1] DB Cargo has a registered office in Mainz and a further administrative office in Frankfurt am Main.^[2][3]

The company was founded as DB Cargo AG on 1 January 1999 under the second stage of liberalisation reform of the German railway system (Bahnreform) underway around this time. Initial operations were primarily focused on the rail freight market within Germany; however, during early 2000, the company was reorganised under the Railion holding company as part of a merger between DB Cargo and the Dutch state-owned rail company Nederlanse Spoorwegen's rail freight operations. This new structure was designed for the cooperation, and incorporation, of future partnerships with other rail freight companies; between 2004 and 2009, Railion expanded its operations into Italy, Switzerland, and Poland, typically via acquisitions. Following the acquisition of Schenker AG in the early 2000s, the company was restructured again and adopted the DB Schenker Rail branding. During 2016, to indicate its core focus on rail freight transportation, the company was once more rebranded as DB Cargo AG; this naming scheme has been progressively replicated across the majority of its international subsidiaries as well.

The services provided by DB Cargo include both block train and single wagonload transport services, the latter of which have been abandoned by many of the company's rivals.^[4] Based on the number of kilometres travelled, DB Cargo is the market leader in both Germany and Europe, although its transport services have been in decline for several years.^[5][6] Seeking to reverse this decline, a more flexible price structure was adopted alongside various cost-cutting measures in 2016. During the early 2020s, major global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine have challenged the company and driven changes. Within the context of the battle against climate change, however, the role of DB Cargo is also thought to be increasingly important,^[7][8] as the company offers transport options that are entirely carbon neutral.^[9] However, the company has been criticised for a lack of investment into both its rolling stock and infrastructure, and thus constraining its performance. In late 2019, Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta took on the role of CEO of DB Cargo.^[10][11]