Representatives of the railway sector are urgently calling on Federal Minister for Transport, Patrick Schnieder (CDU), to implement a swift reform of rail track prices. Currently, these fees are paid by companies to the railway subsidiary DB InfraGo for the use of the national network.
André Schwämmlein, co-founder and CEO of the private train company Flixtrain, told “Der Spiegel” that the current system is unsustainable. “It is no longer acceptable to shift any costs, including margins, onto the operators regardless of the quality of the network” he stated. The situation has become particularly volatile following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in April, which overturned the so-called track price cap, threatening significantly rising costs across regional public transport. Schwämmlein suggested that this court decision has laid the groundwork for a systemic change that the industry has been lobbying for years.
Although the federal government included a promise of pricing reform in its coalition agreement, the Federal Ministry for Transport claims to be working intensely on the issue. However, Schnieder plans to postpone the implementation of the reform until the next timetable change in December, leading several industry associations to denounce the minister for a lack of reform commitment. In a joint letter, the associations indicated that the fundamental outlines of Schnieder’s plans remain indistinct despite persistent urging, noting that a profound reform is an immediate necessity for the entire railway sector.
Criticism is also emerging from the German federal states. Michael Pirschel, head of the regional working group for railway policy, criticized Schnieder’s Ministry at the end of April, writing that it had become clear to him that the federal government currently sees no need for dialogue regarding critical reform topics.