The German government sacked the embattled head of Deutsche Bahn on Thursday as it seeks to overhaul the ailing public rail network after years of criticism about deteriorating services.

Once widely admired for its punctuality and efficiency, Germany's rail service has worsened dramatically in recent years owing to what critics say is chronic underinvestment.

Passengers now often complain of long delays and cancelled trains in Europe's biggest economy -- last year, almost 40 percent of long-distance services were late.

Richard Lutz, who took the helm of the publicly owned institution in 2017, will leave his chief executive post two years before the end of his contract, the government confirmed.

"The situation at Deutsche Bahn is dramatic, if you look at customer satisfaction, punctual

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