A prominent rail advocacy group is urging the German federal government to abandon profit expectations when implementing its newly announced rail strategy. Allianz pro Schiene, a coalition representing various rail interests, argues that prioritizing financial returns undermines the stated commitment to public benefit within the national rail network.
Speaking to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Allianz pro Schiene’s Managing Director, Dirk Flege, highlighted a disconnect between the declared purpose and actual practices. He specifically cited the federal government’s expectation of returns on equity investments in Deutsche Bahn (DB) InfraGo, which requires DB to pay interest on the capital.
The group also calls for an urgent overhaul of track usage fees, which are reportedly escalating rapidly. Flege stated that the government’s intervention in controlling these costs has been insufficient, with the increases directly linked to the federal equity injections.
Allianz pro Schiene emphasizes that the new rail strategy must resolve the existing contradictions between a focus on public good and the expectation of financial returns. Flege insists that the government move away from a traditional, market-driven approach.
Following a comprehensive reform of track usage fees, the group advocates for a multi-year funding framework linked to the infraplan – a plan detailing and securing financing for infrastructure projects over several years. The infraplan itself has been repeatedly announced but remains incomplete and unimplemented.
Federal Minister for Transport, Patrick Schnieder, is scheduled to present the new rail strategy this Monday. Allianz pro Schiene hopes that the plan will encompass a broader vision for rail transport, extending beyond simply defining the federal government’s ownership strategy for DB.