Using the rails is set to become drastically more expensive from 2026, especially for regional transport. Passengers could face higher prices and fewer services. The federal government and the railway want to prevent this.
The federal government wants to strengthen the railways with an additional equity injection worth billions – but this could have fatal side effects: rail travel could become more expensive. This is because more equity means higher track prices – a kind of rail toll – for the transport companies. These track prices are expected to rise significantly again in 2026.
The freight railways are talking about a “price shock”. There is also a threat of price increases and restrictions in services in local and long-distance transport. The Federal Ministry of Transport wants to counteract this.
More equity can become a boomerang
The federal government had announced a new compromise on a draft budget for 2025 in order to close billions of euros in the budget gap. This will be achieved primarily through reallocations at the federally owned Deutsche Bahn. It is to receive additional equity of 4.5 billion euros. This will not be counted towards the debt brake and is intended to replace direct subsidies from the federal budget.
Up until now, an equity increase of around 5.9 billion euros was planned, which the railway is to use to invest in the renovation of the dilapidated rail network. The railway is also to receive a loan worth billions. In total, it is to receive fresh money of more than 20 billion euros in the coming years.
But: The railway has to pay interest, which it in turn finances through the track access charges, with the result that track access charges are higher.
All rail companies must pay track access charges
This is a type of rail toll that is levied by the railway infrastructure division InfraGo. All companies that use the railway’s infrastructure must pay it, including the railway’s transport companies themselves. The railway uses these funds to finance, among other things, the running costs for operation, maintenance and the group’s investment contributions to the more than 33,000-kilometer-long rail network in Germany.
Plans for 2026
InfraGo is planning another drastic increase in track access charges in 2026. This time it would particularly affect regional transport, for which InfraGo has applied to the Federal Network Agency for an increase of 23.5 percent. This is evident from the track access charge information that the company published on Monday evening. The Süddeutsche Zeitung was the first to report this.
The planned equity increase, the amount of which has not yet been discussed for 2026, will result in additional costs, according to InfraGo. “These result from depreciation and capital costs and account for the majority of the overall cost increase.”
Average increase of more than 19 percent
On average, prices are expected to rise by 19.1 percent from 2026. Long-distance transport would see an increase of 10.1 percent, and freight transport an increase of 14.8 percent.
The industry fears that such above-average increases will have far-reaching effects on rail services: “There is a risk of less rail traffic for more money,” said Sarah Stark, CEO of the German Railway Industry Association.
NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens), Chairman of the Transport Ministers’ Conference, said that if the federal government and InfraGo actually come up with the idea of increasing the track access charges for local transport by more than 20 percent, there would be consequences. “Essential parts of local transport will simply no longer take place. The consequences are even more car traffic, even more traffic jams and an even worse climate balance for the transport sector.” An increase in track access charges of this magnitude from 2026 would mean an additional burden in the three-digit million range for NRW alone.
The Federal Network Agency has already approved a significant increase in track access prices for 2025. This will primarily affect long-distance and freight transport, because prices in regional transport have so far been capped by law. With the increase now requested for 2026, Deutsche Bahn assumes that this cap will be overturned by the courts.
Industry calls for reform
“The construction cost subsidies that have been used to date to finance the infrastructure would have prevented this,” says Peter Westenberger, managing director of the Association of Freight Railways, in which Deutsche Bahn’s cargo competitors are organized. Like many other stakeholders, he is calling for a reform of the track pricing system.
“It is therefore all the more important that the federal government now introduces a Modern Rail Act in order to create a planning-proof, multi-year financing architecture with a rail fund,” says Stark from the Railway Industry Association.
In its information to the companies, InfraGo points out that discussions are currently underway with the federal government about a compensation mechanism to offset the burdens caused by the increase in track access charges.
Federal government promises help
The Federal Ministry of Transport announced concrete measures: “On the one hand, the combination of equity and loans will mitigate the effects on the group’s debt and also on the track prices,” said a spokesperson. In addition, the ministry was able to secure funds for the continuation of the track price subsidy, and at the same time the prescribed interest rate on InfraGO’s equity will be massively reduced.
In addition, the ministry will present a concrete roadmap “in a timely manner” on how the financing mechanism for rail infrastructure in Germany can be made future-proof together with the industry and the federal states.
Legal changes?
Green Party rail expert Matthias Gastel had already said that the rail regulation law would have to fundamentally re-regulate track access charges in order to enable lower user fees and thus more economical rail traffic. Westenberger said that a rail infrastructure operator that is oriented towards the common good should not have to make a profit, just like Autobahn GmbH.
Source: Stern
