local transport
The SPD, the Greens and the Union reach an agreement on the Germany ticket
After the decision on Chancellor Scholz’s vote of confidence, the red-green coalition with the Union is clearing an issue. It’s about the popular Germany ticket.
The SPD, the Greens and the Union have agreed on financial security for the Deutschlandticket in local transport next year. This was announced by spokespeople for the three factions of the German Press Agency. Specifically, it is about changing the regionalization law. This will ensure the financing of the Deutschlandticket next year.
The ticket currently costs 49 euros per month, but from the new year it will be 58 euros according to a decision by the state transport ministers. Without a change in the law, there would have been uncertainty in the transport industry. A further increase in the price of the ticket would have been possible.
Reliability for ticket customers
The deputy parliamentary group leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Detlef Müller, called the agreement a great relief. There is now reliability for ticket users. Union parliamentary group vice-president Ulrich Lange (CSU) said: “We are securing the financing of the Deutschlandticket for 2025.” Green Party deputy Julia Verlinden said the Germany ticket for 2025 was secured. “In the coming year, people will also be able to travel cheaply and easily by bus and train.”
Decisions this week
The changes to the regionalization law are expected to be passed by the Bundestag this week. The Federal Council also has to agree, the state chamber meets on Friday. The Bundestag has withdrawn its confidence in Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), paving the way for new elections on February 23rd. The Union had signaled that it would still agree to certain projects after the vote of confidence. The red-green coalition alone no longer has a majority in the Bundestag. According to information from Union circles, there was also an agreement on funds for the railway.
It was said that there would be no postponement of regionalization funds from 2025 to 2026 as originally planned by the coalition. This means that the federal states would have the full amount of funds available. The federal government had originally planned to withhold a portion of the 2025 regionalization funds amounting to 350 million euros to consolidate the budget. The states should receive the payment in 2026 if they have proven that the funds from the previous year were used appropriately. The Union didn’t want to go along with that.
Long-term future remains open
The red-green minority coalition had actually presented a joint proposal for further regulations on the Germany ticket. This provided for long-term financing of the ticket as well as a regulation for taking children with you.
CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz had made it clear that he expected “difficult negotiations” to finance the nationwide ticket beyond 2025. Federal funding is still set for next year. Like the states, the federal government contributes 1.5 billion a year to compensate for lost revenue in the transport industry due to the Deutschlandticket.
Lange said: “What happens after 2025 must be decided by the new federal government together with the new coalition. In doing so, we are keeping our promises to the SPD and the Greens and are meeting them. After all, they should have passed the regionalization law together with the FDP long ago, it was since the summer.”
Verlinden called it bad news that the Union was not prepared to reliably assure the people in the country that the Deutschlandticket would also exist beyond 2025. “We regret this very much because the Union is not taking people’s wishes into account. The federal states and transport associations also expect the ticket to be extended.”
Around 13 million people use the Deutschlandticket. You can use it to travel on local and regional buses and trains throughout the country – regardless of the federal state, transport association or tariff area.
The Union also wants to agree to a so-called third addendum to the service and financing agreement with Deutsche Bahn. This involves around 2.7 billion euros for infrastructure. The railway made advance payments for so-called corridor renovations in 2023 and 2024. Particularly polluted routes are to be fundamentally renovated by 2030. The aim of the renovations is to make the railway more punctual. The renovation of the first route, the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim, was recently completed.
dpa
Source: Stern
