BERLIN, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Siemens ' SIEGn.DE head of
high-speed and regional trains, Juergen Wilder, will leave the
industrial group at the end of the year to take over Deutsche
Bahn's struggling rail freight arm, people familiar with the
matter told Reuters on Monday.
Wilder became head of the Siemens business in 2013 and
started to turn around the business after supplies of high-speed
ICE trains to Deutsche Bahn were delayed for years, causing
hundreds of millions of euros in project charges.
Siemens Mobility, the division that includes trains,
reported a 9 percent drop in revenue and a 28 percent drop in
profit in the quarter to end-June, which Siemens blamed on the
timing of large rail projects.
The global rail sector is consolidating and Siemens has been
reported to be considering merging its rail assets with those of
French Alstom ALSO.PA or Canada's Bombardier BBDb.TO ,
although the company says it can stand alone. ID:nL5N1094N6
Deutsche Bahn's DBN.UL loss-making freight unit, DB
Schenker Rail, is restructuring to combat fierce competition
from direct rivals and other forms of transportation that have
profited from lower fuel prices. ID:nB4N11702V
It has also been hit by a series of strikes by drivers.
Siemens and Deutsche Bahn declined to comment.