Rüdiger Grube, board member at carmaker Daimler and chairman of Airbus parent EADS, was on Thursday confirmed as Berlin’s choice to run Deutsche Bahn, the state-owned rail company

Mr Grube, 57, was chosen by chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to replace Hartmut Mehdorn, who said he would quit the post on Monday amid public anger over revelations that DB had spied on staff.