German railway Deutsche Bahn is warning of more expensive tickets and fewer long-distance passenger rail connections due to a potential 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 spokesman told dpa that "reductions in services and an increase in ticket prices would be unavoidable" if the fee increases go into effect.
The spokesman said the the fee increases are "significantly higher than the average inflation-related cost increase."
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 labour and materials.
Local and regional passenger rail service are partly shielded from such fees by German law, meaning that the increase would fall particularly heavy on freight and long-distance passenger service.
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.