German railway Deutsche Bahn has denied a media report about the imminent cancellation of several long-distance passenger routes.
"There are currently no concrete plans to cancel the long-distance connections mentioned. We completed our planning for the 2025 timetable in April. This timetable does not currently provide for any of the aforementioned service cuts," Michael Peterson, the member of Deutsche Bahn's Executive Board responsible for long-distance services, said in a statement.
However, due to the threat of cost increases as a result of higher track access charges, Deutsche Bahn is forced to review the scope of the timetable nationwide, Peterson said.
Spiegel magazine had previously reported on a list of long-distance connections that could be thinned out or cancelled due to an expected increase in track access fees. The magazine referred to a letter sent by Deutsche Bahn to the Federal Network Agency at the beginning of February.