German railway Deutsche Bahn (DB) is cautioning against more expensive tickets and fewer long-distance passenger rail connections due to a potentially sharp increase in track access fees.
The track access charges are fees levied by Deutsche Bahn's infrastructure subsidiary InfraGO. All companies that use the rail infrastructure have to pay them, including the rail transport companies themselves.
Complaints have been filed against the fee increases. The German government – which fully owns Deutsche Bahn – has also suggested the possibility of special funding to support rail companies.
A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) that "reductions in services and an increase in ticket prices would be unavoidable" if the fee increases go into effect.
The spokesperson said the fee increases are "significantly higher than the average inflation-related cost increase."
The news triggered an immediate reaction from politicians, with Greens in particular voicing criticism of any cuts to rail service, and calling for fundamental reforms to the track access fee system.
Many local and municipal officials from areas reportedly targeted for rail service reductions also expressed fears that their regions could be left behind as a result.
Germany's Federal Network Agency recently approved a significant increase in track access charges for 2025 by an average of 6% compared to the previous year, with InfraGO citing rising costs for labor and materials.
Local and regional passenger rail services are partly shielded from such fees by German law, meaning that the increase would fall particularly heavy on freight and long-distance passenger services.
For 2025, track access fees for long-distance transport will increase by 17.7%, according to the current projections.
Spiegel magazine reported that Deutsche Bahn has already drawn up a list of high-speed routes for reduced service or cancellation, citing a letter the railway sent the Federal Network Agency in February.
Deutsche Bahn would not comment on the reported list or specific planned cuts.
Detlef Neuss from the Pro Rail train passenger advocacy group reacted angrily to the reports. He said that Deutsche Bahn has a responsibility to run trains even on less profitable parts of the network, and more state funding is needed to finance adequate service.
Neuss criticized how much public funding is spent on motorways each year instead of the railroads, "just because many car drivers who never ride the trains applaud."