DB InfraGo plans to increase route prices for 2027
Fees for using the German rail network are expected to rise by an average of 7.9 percent.
Quick Look
- DB InfraGo is planning an average increase in route prices of 7.9 percent for 2027.
- The fees for freight, long-distance and regional transport increase at different rates, although the Federal Network Agency still has to approve the application.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
DB InfraGo is the operator of the German rail network and finances operations and maintenance through route prices. The VG Cologne confirmed the admissibility of the planned price increases.
Fees for using the German rail network are expected to rise by an average of 7.9 percent in 2027. DB InfraGo, which is responsible for the network, wants to apply to the Federal Network Agency for target revenue of 7.5 billion euros, as Deutsche Bahn announced. In rail freight transport, route prices - a type of toll for rail - are expected to rise by 12.9 percent, in local rail passenger transport by 7.7 percent and in long-distance transport by 5.0 percent.
In doing so, InfraGo does not want to exhaust an upper limit of total costs of 8.2 billion euros set by the Cologne Administrative Court (VG Köln). The Cologne Administrative Court decided last week that the railway could increase route prices to the planned extent next year and pass them on to the transport companies.
Route prices continue to rise
For 2028, InfraGo initially wants to apply for a target revenue of 8.6 billion euros. Mathematically, this would correspond to an average increase in route prices of 15.1 percent. According to the railway, this is a preliminary value because, among other things, the amount of maintenance funding has not yet been determined. As soon as the open points have been clarified, the application should be adjusted downwards accordingly.
The railway subsidiary DB InfraGo is the operator of the German rail network. Anyone who wants to ride on it has to pay a fee to them. InfraGo uses this to finance, among other things, operation, maintenance and investments in the rail network.
Possible impact on regional transport services
The fee is charged per kilometer and varies for the three types of transport: freight, long-distance and regional transport. The respective route prices must be re-approved by the Federal Network Agency every year using a complex procedure.
The higher fees could have an impact on the offer for passengers in regional transport, as companies there are already struggling with sharply increased costs for personnel and energy, for example. In March, the European Court of Justice overturned the so-called train path price brake, which exempted local rail passenger transport companies from sharply rising train path prices.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Application to the Federal Network Agency for 2027
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will the Federal Network Agency approve the application in full?
- How much will regional transport services actually be reduced?
