Train traffic - Deutsche Bahn boss: No cuts to long-distance services in 2025
Rail CEO Richard Lutz emphasized after the commotion regarding the future long-distance transport offer that no cuts are planned for the coming year. "Our planning for the 2025 timetable, which was completed in April, does not foresee any reductions," writes Lutz in a letter to the Eastern State Group of the SPD Bundestag Faction. The letter was obtained by the German Press Agency. "We want to run the full 2025 timetable," a DB spokesperson confirmed upon request.
In the letter, Lutz expressed understanding for the concerns of the parliamentarians following the media reports of the past week. "Contrary to the statements in 'Spiegel', we currently have no plans or decisions regarding the cancellation of the mentioned long-distance transport connections," writes Lutz.
The trigger for the debate: Track prices
'Spiegel' reported last week on a list of long-distance transport connections that could be reduced or canceled. The magazine referred to a letter from the railway to the Federal Network Agency from early February.
Background of the cuts debate are the track prices, which are charged by DB Infrastructure AG DB Infrago. All companies using the railway infrastructure, including the railway companies themselves, must pay these fees. The Federal Network Agency recently approved a significant increase in track prices for 2025. The reason for the high increase, according to Infrago, are higher personnel and material costs from previous years. For 2025, track prices for long-distance transport are set to increase by 17.7% based on current information. However, there are lawsuits against this, and the federal government has offered help with a track price subsidy.
Lutz writes to the SPD parliamentarians that the mentioned letter from the railway to the Federal Network Agency was a written statement from the railway to the Federal Network Agency. According to Lutz, the Federal Network Agency had asked the railway to explain the economic effects of the proposed track price increase. "In this letter, there is no mention of possible, one-sided measures focused on Eastern Germany," writes Lutz to the parliamentarians.
- The SPD parliamentary group in Germany has expressed concern over potential cuts to long-distance services, following media reports and a letter from DB to the Federal Network Agency.
- Richard Lutz, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn (DB), clarified in a letter that no cuts are planned for the coming year despite the increased track prices.
- The Federal Network Agency approved a significant increase in track prices for 2025, citing higher personnel and material costs.
- The SPD parliamentary group, including the SPD faction, has been actively engaging with Lutz and DB regarding the potential impacts of these track price increases on long-distance services.
- In response to concerns from parliamentarians, Lutz explained that the letter to the Federal Network Agency was merely a response to a request for an economic analysis, and did not contain any plans for one-sided measures in Eastern Germany.
- The German Press Agency reported on this debate, referring to the letter from DB to the Federal Network Agency as well as the subsequent response from Lutz to the SPD parliamentary group.
- The issue of track prices and their impact on long-distance services remains a topic of discussion in the German political sphere, with the SPD parliamentary group advocating for a fair and sustainable solution.
