Trassenpreise: Gericht hält geplante Schienenmaut für 2027 für rechtens

The Federal Administrative Court of Cologne has upheld Deutsche Bahn's plan to increase train track charges, known as trassenpreise, for 2027, potentially exceeding the originally proposed limit. The court's decision follows a complaint from the state-owned conglomerate against a lower cap set by the Federal Network Agency. Deutsche Bahn is authorized to collect approximately 8.2 billion euros from transport companies in the following year, surpassing the initially submitted cap of around 7.55 billion euros.

The Bundesnetzagentur only approved a cap of about 7.3 billion euros. It is expected that the higher thresholds will likely not be fully utilized, with DB InfraGo, the operator of the German rail network, facilitating the charges, which fund the operation, maintenance, and investment in the rail network. The charges vary per kilometer for different modes of transport, including freight, long-distance, and regional traffic.

The exact extent of the upcoming increase in average charges per kilometer for 2027 is yet to be determined. The expedited administrative court process delayed the final decision, originally proposing a 12.6 percent increase for freight traffic, 7.7 percent for regional traffic, and 5.3 percent for long-distance traffic. The competition association for freight trains estimated that this would result in a total cost of around 112 million euros for freight companies per kilometer.

The Regional traffic charges are also anticipated to rise significantly, potentially affecting passenger services as the companies currently face high costs in personnel and energy. The European Court of Justice lifted the Trassenpreisbremse, or train price brake, in March, which had exempted companies in rail passenger transport from significant increases in trassenpreise. The Cologne Administrative Court's ruling is considered final.