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."
The news triggered an immediate reaction from politicians, with Greens in particular voicing criticism of any cuts to rail service, and called 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 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 denied that report, saying that no decisions have yet been made. The railway, however, acknowledged that routes are under review due to the cost increases.
"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.
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."