- The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionising radiation.
Higher track prices at Deutsche Bahn should not, according to Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), hinder the freight and passenger traffic on the rails. "We are closely monitoring this track price development," said the FDP politician in an interview with the German Press Agency in Mainz. "We want a lot of traffic on the rails, punctual traffic on the rails, we want a high-performance rail system."
Among other things, Wissing's ministry is pushing in the current budget negotiations at the federal level to secure short-term funds for subsidizing track prices in long-distance passenger and freight traffic. Corresponding positions can be found in the current government draft.
Overhaul of the track price system is planned for the long term
Track prices are fees charged by DB Infrastructure subsidiary InfraGo. All companies that use the railway infrastructure have to pay them - including the transport companies of the railway itself. The Federal Network Agency recently approved a significant increase in track prices for 2025. InfraGo refers to higher personnel and material costs. Due to a legal regulation, the regional traffic should not be burdened too much - therefore, the increases are mainly shifted to long-distance and freight traffic.
The Federal Ministry of Transport has already made it clear that special funding for railway companies cannot be a long-term solution. For this, a long-term overhaul of the current track price system is needed. However, what this could look like is still unclear. First, the development will be evaluated, said Wissing to dpa in Mainz. Furthermore, numerous measures are being worked on to achieve the transport policy goals. This includes the general renovation of the network and a comprehensive funding package for rail freight traffic, "which focuses on improving the profitability of single wagon traffic".
The Federal Ministry of Transport is pushing to secure short-term funds for subsidizing track prices in long-distance passenger and freight traffic in the current budget negotiations, as stated in Wissing's ministry's positions in the government draft. Despite the potential increase in track prices, the government aims to maintain a high level of freight and passenger traffic on the rails, as expressed by Volker Wissing.
